The Municipality of Olhão is going to create a real estate fund worth one million euros to buy houses in the typical neighborhoods of Levante and Barreta, in the historic center of the city, recover and lease them (or sell them) to young couples from Olhão. The idea is to keep “the soul” of these neighborhoods, which are increasingly sought after by foreign investors.
“Tourism has very good things, it generates jobs and even better salaries. But it also has its downside. From the outset in the historic area, much sought after by foreigners for the purchase and restoration of homes. They are welcome, but we have to be careful, in the medium term, so that these areas do not lose their character from the point of view of the resident and autochthonous population», he told the Sul Informação the mayor of Olhão António Pina, on the sidelines of the session in which he took office for his second term as a mayor from Olhão.
To prevent the city's downtown from having Olhão, the City Council "will use this million euros to buy some houses that are still abandoned, recover them and then rent or sell them to young couples in Olhão" .
They can apply to live in these houses «young couples from Olhano, who have lived in the municipality for more than ten years».
This is just one of the measures that António Pina and his team have been thinking about for the mandate that has just begun, in the area of housing. Young people from Olho also will be able to count on "controlled housing costs", which will allow them to continue living in the municipality. The municipality's plans also include the requalification of social housing districts.
The real estate fund that the Chamber intends to create to keep Barreta and Levante from the eyes of the country was one of the themes addressed by António Pina in his speech, which closed the solemn session for the inauguration of those elected to local authorities in the elections of 1 October.
This time, the mayor from Olhano has a comfortable majority, as he managed to get five councilors out of seven. In addition to the mayor, the PS has councilors Carlos Martins, Gracinda Rendeiro, António Camacho and Elsa Parreira.
The PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM coalition only elected two councilors: Luciano Jesus, who left the PS months before the elections and headed the list of that coalition to the Chamber of Olhão, and Daniel Santana, president of the Municipal Assembly until yesterday county.
For this reason alone, it was already certain that the president of this body would change, but the fact that the socialists also had a clear advantage at the polls in the elections for the Municipal Assembly dictated that the new chairman of the board would be António Cabrita, an independent member of the top of the PS list.
The election, unlike what happened four years ago - the PS was the party with the most elements, but it did not have a majority and saw the PSD elect its candidate for AM president -, went smoothly, with the list presented by the socialists (single) to be approved.
Once the bodies are in place, a new mandate begins, which, for António Pina, will force him to be more responsible. "Absolute majority means for us absolute responsibility", he assured.
But there is also "a greater ease in working, in political terms", which leads the new executive to have many plans, not least because "the Chamber is now more relaxed, financially".
One of the areas where there will be a bet will be Basic Sanitation. “Works worth six million euros are already up for competition. Three million are destined for the eastern part of the municipality – Bias Norte, Bias Sul and Cavacos. We will also intervene in the area between roundabouts next to McDonald's. The other tender that has already been launched is for the long-awaited sanitation project on Ilha da Armona, where there are 940 homes», he summed up.
In this field, there is another problem that has been dragging on for a long time, that of illegal discharges into the rainwater network, which end in the Ria Formosa, "a challenge that we must try to solve by the end of this mandate."
“We've already reduced illegal discharges into the rainwater network by about 20 percent. But this is painstaking and costly work, as we are talking about a network that has been built over the years. It is an old and unitary network. But it is an investment that we have to make, because our riverfront, in addition to the investments that will be made, is not compatible with illegal discharges», he explained.
Another banner of António Pina for this mandate is the urban requalification, which involves the «renovation of the public space, with a deep intervention in the sidewalks and sidewalks», but also major works, such as the requalification of Avenida 5 de Outubro, next to to Municipal Markets, a work included in the Polis program, and the creation of a park with urban beaches, in the western part of the city.
«This is a project that depends on articulation with the Ministry of Environment, in relation to the part of the beaches themselves and intervention in the area of jurisdiction of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. And it depends on the implementation of the financial model of this intervention, which involves the sale of the lot where the Municipal Shipyards are currently located, for the construction of a hotel unit», he said.
Another condition, which António Pina assumes "already fulfilled", is the deactivation of the Waste Water Treatment Station (WWTP) Poente de Olhão, which will cease to be in operation as soon as the new WWTP becomes operational. Faro/Olhão, whose construction “has been more than halfway through”.
“Afterwards, we will carry out an environmental recovery intervention in the old retention ponds and in the entire area, for public enjoyment and bird watching”, assured António Pina.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues|Sul Informação
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