The Administrative Court of Loulé maintains the injunction to protect Alagoas Brancas, as the Municipality of Lagoa has not sent "all relevant information" about the project to the Algarve's Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) within the deadline. 20 working days imposed by the court, announced the environmental association Almargem.
«The Administrative Court of Loulé demanded that the Municipality of Lagoa send the study coordinated by Associação Almargem on Alagoas Brancas and all relevant information to CCDR Algarve, so that, in the context of a preliminary assessment, it could assess the potential impacts of the project of urbanization and subsequent construction of a commercial area on that wetland located in the municipality of Lagoa», stresses the association in a statement sent to the editorial offices.
However, «the Municipality of Lagoa did not send all relevant information to CCDR Algarve within the 20 working days initially filed by the court. Thus, the injunction will be maintained until CCDR Algarve issues its decision».
The initial decision of the Administrative Court of Loulé appeared on the 21st of May, as a result of the injunction filed by Almargem – Association for the Defense of the Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the Algarve and by the Associação Cívica Cidade da Participação, against the Municipality of Lagoa, with the joint-stock company Edifícios Atlântico as a counter-interest.
This precautionary measure "intended to prevent the start of any urbanization work which, irreversibly, would destroy Alagoas Brancas."
On the 1st of June, CCDR Algarve communicated with the Municipality of Lagoa, «in order to send all the relevant information required by law», adds Almargem.
But “the Municipality said nothing until the 1st of July, after the 20 working day period granted by the court had expired”.
Also according to Almargem, the Lagoa Council was, however, quick “to ask the Administrative Court of Loulé to declare the forfeiture of the injunction, thus prioritizing this appeal, and ignoring all its responsibilities”.
Last May, contacted by Sul Informação, the mayor of Lagoa he had expressed relief that the issue of Alagoas Brancas was being referred to the CCDR Algarve. But, apparently, the services of your local authority did not share the same relief, since, within the 20-day period given by the Court, they will not have sent the required documentation to the CCDR.
At the end of the 20-day period and in view of the behavior of the Municipality and the counter-interested parties, the court has now decided to “maintain the injunction until CCDR Algarve is able to disclose the preliminary assessment that will dictate the existence or not of an Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA)'.
"This was the only decision the Court could have taken because, quite simply, the preliminary assessment process did not even start, not because of the CCDR Algarve's responsibility, but because of the inertia of the Lagoa City Council", stresses Almargem.
Simultaneously, «the appeal demanded by the Municipality of Lagoa and by the counter-interested parties will now be filed with the Central Administrative Court of the South».
The legal process brought by the two associations “seeks to protect the environmental values of this wetland and requires the need for an environmental impact assessment”.
Almargem recalls that the study it promoted, «financed by the Environmental Fund and which had the collaboration of several entities, some of them public entities», such as the University of Algarve, «showed that this ecosystem in the heart of the city of Lagoa has an environmental wealth much higher than expected, including species indicative of priority habitat for the Natura 2000 Network: 3170-Mediterranean temporary ponds, particularly important habitat for conservation».
This study identified 114 species of birds, despite the small size of Alagoas, and the presence in that location of at least 1% of the national shrimp breeding population should be highlighted (porphyry porphyry) and 1% of the regional population (Mediterranean, Black Sea and West Africa) of Ibis Preta (Plegadis falcinellus).
At the end of the statement, Almargem and the Associação Cívica Cidade da Participación guarantee that «the associations proposing the injunction will continue to fight for the defense of the territory and the ecological value of Alagoas Brancas, fighting against this construction in a floodplain area and the destruction of an entire area. an ecosystem that so far has shown great resilience to the onslaught of all those who want to destroy it».
The study promoted by Almargem can be consulted by clicking here
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