Spain 
Italy 
Greece 
Praia de Monte Gordo: Second Phase of Rehabiliation Works Begins
15 November 2017
The second phase of renovations to the Praia de Monte Gordo, in Vila Real de Santo António, “is the most important project” in the county concerning tourism, the mayor of the city stated today.
The renovations, budgeted at around 10 million euros, began today with the demolition of the previous nineteen structures on the beach, with the completion of 18 new restaurant facilities, with improved access, slated for May 2018.
“It is the most important construction project for the municipality and will be emblematic of tourism’s potential in the region. It will permit an increase in the quality of the beach area, while also bettering its environmental footprint,” the mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, Conceição Cabrita, told the news agency, Lusa.
According to the mayor, the construction of Monte Gordo’s beach facilities “will have a great impact in environmental terms, since it will allow us to preserve the dunes, unlike what is happening today, where the facilities are causing damage to the coastal dunes.”
“The materials that will be used in the new facilities will also be standardised and maintained at the same level as the walkway,” the mayor stated.
Mayor Cabrita added that the beach area, one of the most sought after in the county, “will accommodate a total of 18 beach facilities, one less than at present.”
“All the owners who had their licenses up-to-date will continue their presence on the beach, with only one being excluded. The one excluded facility not only didn’t have up-to-date licensing but also did not express an intention to continue,” she said.
The mayor also said that the rehabilitation works “should be completed in their entirety by May 2018, and the town council intends to inaugurate the new area on May 13th,” the anniversary of the founding of the city of Vila Real de Santo António.
The second phase of the Praia de Monte Gordo renovations, approved by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), consists of the demolition and construction of the facilities along the beach, to complete the development of a three-kilometre wooden walkway, erected in the first phase of the works.
“The intervention permitted the existing business owners, who had been working on the beach for 30 to 40 years, and had their documentation in order, to continue in their activity, without the need to compete in a public tender, ending the precarious nature of the licensing system that existed before,” Ms Cabrita concluded.
Original Story: Diário Imobiliário / Lusa
Translation: Richard Turner