Praia do Forte Novo saw part of its boardwalk destroyed by last weekend’s bad weather
A €14 million project to replenish a series of beaches near Quarteira, including Praia do Forte Novo where a section of its beachside boardwalk was destroyed by last weekend’s bad weather, is awaiting community funding to move forward.
The project, which will involve replenishing the beach areas between the Quarteira seafront and Ancão beach, has already been launched by ARH Algarve – Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), announced Loulé Council in a statement to the press on Monday. The project is awaiting community funding via the Climate Action and Sustainability Programme (PACS), after which an international public tender for the beach replenishment works will be launched.
The announcement came after last weekend’s bad weather caused considerable damage to the boardwalk at Praia do Forte Novo, one of just many other beaches in the area, such as Trafal and Loulé Velho, which have been steadily shrinking in size due to rising sea levels.
In a statement to the press, Loulé Council has confirmed that works to “remove all the debris” from the Forte Novo beach will begin soon. Once the beaches have been replenished, the local council will renovate the boardwalk and other affected facilities, it says.
The council statement also laments that this episode of extreme weather has “damaged the touristic image of the region” and warns that the frequency of these situations is only expected to increase. Thus, it believes the government should create a “regional fund” to provide an “immediate and simplified” response to the “serious consequences” of these freak weather events.
On a closing note, the local authority guarantees it will “remain vigilant” and in permanent contact with ARH Algarve to “resolve this situation as quickly as possible.”
