The newly formed STOP UP12 – Association for the Defence of the Environment and Territory has launched legal proceedings against the Lagoa Municipality, challenging its decision to restart the drafting of the Albandeira Detailed Plan. The action was filed on January 5, 2026, marking the group’s first major move to oppose the project.
The association has filed an administrative action with the Administrative Court of Loulé, arguing that the decision to resume preparation of the plan is affected by “serious illegalities”.
STOP UP12 considers that the “decision taken by the Lagoa Municipal Council violates, among many others, fundamental principles to safeguard the public interest, namely those relating to territorial protection and environment preservation”.
The association also claims there are strong indications of “misuse of power by the Lagoa Municipal Council” executive. It questions the “insistence” on advancing a planning process based on the “same documentation that was previously rejected by the main national and regional authorities responsible for environmental protection and spatial planning”. These include the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), the Directorate-General for Territorial Development (DGT) and the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR).
STOP UP12 argues that “this persistence appears to serve the interests of a private developer”. It says: “Whom does this institutional obstinacy serve, which does not hesitate to place itself above the public interest? Clearly, it serves a developer who, within the full legitimacy of a market economy, seeks to maximise the return on an investment and recover losses incurred by others.
“How? By preparing a detailed plan that would allow the construction of a large-scale tourism and residential complex, including a luxury resort comprising a hotel, holiday village, villas, and apartments, with a total of more than 1,000 tourist beds. All of this is to be implemented in one of the few remaining untouched coastal areas of the Algarve.”
According to the association, it is the responsibility of the municipal authority to protect both the territory and local communities from projects that, despite being presented as “high-end ecotourism”, would involve extensive construction (“three enormous concrete developments”), the destruction of native vegetation and priority conservation habitats, the “creation of lawns, swimming pools and heavy infrastructure, and a sharp increase in traffic in an area served by a limited road network”.
The planned development would be located along the coastal strip adjacent to the Pedra do Valado Marine Protected Area, a fragile marine ecosystem which STOP UP12 says would inevitably be affected by such urban pressure.
The association argues that, given what it sees as the municipality’s “failure to fulfil its duty to defend the territory”, residents and citizens have taken it upon themselves to act through STOP UP12 to protect the area.
Updated on January 28, 2026, at 12.40pm, with Lagoa Council’s response on the legal action:
“The detailed plan is a dynamic planning instrument” – Lagoa Council
“The preparation of municipal land use plans, which stem from the implementation of the UP12 Urbanisation Plan, published on January 28, 2008, is the exclusive responsibility of the City Council, under the terms of Article 76 of the Legal Regime for Territorial Management Instruments (RJIGT), with this decision being based on mandatory technical and administrative elements, as well as on the definition of the respective deadlines for preparation.
“The deadlines previously set for the preparation of the Albandeira Detailed Plan did not allow for the complete clarification and rectification of all non-compliant aspects identified in the plan proposals, which justified the need to continue with the respective procedures.
“There are still relevant issues pending in relation to the environmental assessment of the proposed plan, which require further study and better characterisation, as pointed out by the competent authorities in this matter. These issues will be duly addressed during the plan’s preparation period, through the necessary consultation meetings, and for this reason the procedure cannot be considered concluded.
“Without prejudice to the opinions issued in the meantime, it should be emphasised that the detailed plan is a dynamic planning instrument, which is constructed and adjusted throughout its preparation process, taking into consideration the various public and private interests involved. In addition, any proposed plan is legally subject to a public discussion phase before its eventual approval and publication.
“The Municipality of Lagoa is currently within the deadline for responding to the action for which it was notified on January 13, 2026. Any comments it may have on the content and arguments contained in the aforementioned action will be presented strictly within the judicial sphere.”
