More housing, green spaces and commerce will create a «new centrality» in Faro, which continues to focus on growth towards the north with the new 3rd ring road, and the Penha, Vale da Amoreira and Detailed Development Plans for Sítio da Má Vontade and Pontes de Marchil.
After inauguration of the first section of this new ring road, which included the requalification of Avenida 25 de Abril and the creation of a new roundabout next to Estrada da Penha, the Municipal Territorial Plans for this area were presented, with the Vale da Amoreira being the most advanced.
Here, the developer will start this year with the urbanization, since «it already has land sold for housing and commercial areas», revealed Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Chamber of Faro, during the opening ceremony of the first section of the new ring road, which took place on the 28th of October.
“In the next decade, this entire area will be urbanized and we will have a new city here, a new centrality”, continued the mayor.
It is known, for now, that, in addition to housing, an Intermarché is planned for that area, thus creating several new jobs, as well as a green space with about 10 hectares.
«I'm from the Algarve and I really enjoy being here. Faro is, for me, one of the cities with the greatest potential of all Portuguese cities. We are talking about an ambitious project with about 170 thousand square meters of construction with a park of about 10 hectares», stressed Paul Henri Schelfhout, representative of the promoter of the Vale das Amoreiras Plan at the ceremony.
«I can already say that we are going to have the first integrated dryland park at national level. We don't have water, so we have to be aware of what is happening in our country and this park will be the first great example of using natural species from the Algarve, integrated into an urban park that can be used by the population», he says, explaining which species such as pine, carob or almond trees will be used.
The Amoreira Valley Urbanization Plan therefore provides for multifamily housing, housing at controlled costs, an area for tertiary activities and a green park with about 62 thousand square meters in urban land and 38 thousand in rustic land.
Questioned by Sul Informação on the date foreseen for the execution of this park, Rogério Bacalhau says that «it will not be to go ahead now», but guarantees that, being planned, «the promoter has this obligation». “We are not going to close this process until this park is ready – and we control this because we are the ones who issue the license”, he says.
The other Urbanization Plan is that of Penha, in force since August 15, 2014 and amended on May 27, 2021, which will include the creation of 940 new dwellings, 94 at controlled costs, two university residences and one senior.
In addition, tourist developments, proximity social facilities and facilities integrated into the Sports Complex are planned.
«In recent years, we have increased the population by six thousand people, around 10%, and between 2015 and 2021, 1000 homes were built. We need to continue with this growth to give sustainability to the county. We have a lot of employment capacity, but we need housing, because we are faced with companies linked to new technologies that want to install, but have difficulty finding housing for their workers», stressed the mayor of Faro.
These projects are, according to the mayor, «the result of the work that has gone through, over the last decade, to reorganize the entire area north of the 3rd Circular in terms of planning, defining what each promoter can do there».
Rogério Bacalhau also revealed that, within five years, the 3rd Circular will be completed, which "will be very positive for the mobility of the municipality, for those who need to enter or leave the city and, above all, for those who come to live and for the activities that will be established in this area».
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