Faro is projecting its future facing Ria Formosa. Today, on Municipality Day, projects were presented for the creation of a walkway connecting the riverside park to the Doca de Faro, of a seafront promenade, with a walkway, between the dock and Largo de São Francisco, for the redevelopment of the urban fabric in the city's downtown and for the reconversion of the Commercial Pier in Faro. There is no estimate of when all this will be completed, but there is one certainty: this is “a process that cannot stop”.
It was in one of the places that the Municipality wants to intervene that the Solemn Session of the Municipality's Day took place: the Commercial Wharf of Faro, with the Sagres School Ship as a backdrop and with the presence of Ana Paula Vitorino, Minister of the Sea.
In all, Faro wants to rehabilitate an extension of five kilometers, with an area of 137 hectares and a concrete objective: «to affirm Faro as the capital of the Algarve, which is one of the most important tourist regions in Europe». The words are from Luís Gomes, former mayor of Vila Real de Santo António who, as a consultant to the Chamber of Faro for this project, it presented the planned interventions.
Luís Gomes added that the promenade, which is being designed, “will have a large walkway, with mooring points, which will function as a dock throughout the city”, between the current dock and Largo de São Francisco.
According to the consultant, this project brings the city closer to the estuary, creating "a large corridor south of the railway, with mooring support points, restaurants and bars."
In order for the Chamber to proceed with this work, a protocol was signed today with Docapesca for the transfer of land between the Doca and Largo de São Francisco, since this plot of land belongs to the company.
The riverside walk, which will start between the Doca and the Teatro das Figuras, is still awaiting the signing of a similar document with Infraestruturas de Portugal, as the land belongs to the former Refer. Rogério Bacalhau, President of the Chamber of Faro, expects this protocol to be signed by the end of the year.
As for the conversion of the Commercial Wharf, whose project had as its starting point the idea developed by CCMAR and the Chamber of Faro, presented in June of last year, Luís Gomes said that it represents an estimated investment of 120 million euros and that it has the potential to create 1000 jobs.
Rogério Bacalhau explained to journalists that what was presented, in 2017, as a project for the commercial wharf, «was a study that has evolved a lot. The mooring was over the water mirror and the land area was maintained. Now another solution has been achieved. You do not enter the water mirror and return much of the terrestrial area of this space, which is degraded and with materials that are polluting the estuary. There is a part here that will be returned to the estuary. The first project was a study for the materialization of a dream, which served to develop the next process. In what was presented today, there are already many contributions from the Environment, Spatial Planning… There is a great evolution and I am convinced that this study will come close to the final result».
According to the mayor, the future Commercial Pier will have two important parts: «the marina itself, which is the anchor of the process, which will enhance nautical activities. Everything related to nautical will be here. Then the idea is to have research linked to the University here, with the Ria e do Mar component. CCMAR was the one who brought us many ideas for this project».
A “large aquarium and the CCMAR remain projected for the location. Then we will have activities complementary to nautical, with accommodation, catering, commerce».
The investment in the Commercial Wharf is large but, on the part of the Municipality, the costs will be applied «in studies, projects, all that. However, the idea is to make a concession with totally private investment». And, according to the mayor, there are interested parties, such as had already advanced to Sul Informação. “We have received several expressions of interest from investors, some domestic and several foreigners. They are entities that have equipment of this kind in other parts of the world and that are interested in knowing the terms», he said.
For the Bom João area, for which a Detailed Plan is being prepared, investments are foreseen in housing «and other activities related to tourism».
There are many interventions to implement that promise to change the face of the city of Faro. Given the size of the projects, Rogério Bacalhau does not risk dates for the beginning of the works and explains that «it is necessary to carry out studies that take time, to launch competitions, which we know when we launch, but we do not know when they will end… It is a process that will take a few years» , admit it.
The entire area to be intervened is part of the Ria Formosa Natural Park and environmental issues are raised, which Bacalhau guarantees are being taken care of. «We are working with the University of Algarve, studying the environmental impact in that area».
Furthermore, "the commission that the minister appointed and who worked on the project had, in most meetings, representatives of the Portuguese Environment Agency and ICNF. All these issues are resolved, because these projects are very beautiful, but if they spoil the environment, they will be harmed. Nobody would come here if it was polluted. There is a care for the environment, which is always present».
The environmental concern was also highlighted by Ana Paula Vitorino, Minister of the Sea, who left a message, guessing possible challenges to this project. “Protecting the environment is very important, but protecting the environment is not doing nothing. If we keep this space as it is, we will be seriously affecting the quality of the territory».
After times when the Chamber of Faro and the Ministry of the Sea were of "reverse lamps", today the praise and thanks were mutual with the government official praising the Farense executive: «This is why the Portuguese elect governors, to transform the territories for the better. It is not about alienating a port area, it is about transforming a space that is no longer used in a city. This is the main objective of a Municipality and also of the Government».
Ana Paula Vitorino also left the challenge to maintain “the identity of the territory, keeping the maritime symbology linked to the sea” and a desire for the project: “good winds and tides and ground seas” on the renovated commercial pier.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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