Excavation works that were taking place at Albufeira’s Praia dos Tomates were halted by Portugal’s environmental agency (APA) due to a lack of licensing.
Last week, stunned locals sounded the alarm about the works that were taking place at the beach without the mandatory notice board on display at the site. A Região Sul reader contacted the news site to expose the situation, sending pictures to show the extent of the work and how she was shocked to see native vegetation being carelessly cleared.
The works were being carried out by a real estate fund in Lisbon that wanted to build a beach concession, Albufeira mayor José Carlos Rolo told Correio da Manhã tabloid.
But as he explained, the project was not licensed and was quickly halted by APA.
A source for the environmental agency told CM that the land is private but that the works started without the green light from APA and several other authorities, and thus an embargo was placed on the project.
Albufeira’s official bathing season started May 15. It is the borough with most ‘Gold Quality’ beaches (23) in all of Portugal.
michael.bruxo@algarveresident.com
