The socialist deputies elected by the Algarve (Jamila Madeira, Luis Graça, Jorge Botelho, Francisco Oliveira and Isabel Guerreiro) announced today that they had presented, in the Assembly of the Republic, two bills for the elevation of the village of Boliqueime to the category of town and village from Almancil to the category of city.
These previously announced legislative initiatives "had not completed their legislative process in the previous legislature, so it was not possible to implement them due to the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic, and are now resumed with the same purpose and content", clarify the parliamentarians.
In the bill for the elevation of Boliqueime to the category of Village, the deputies say they seek to «fulfill an old ambition» of the local people, since it is «a land that welcomes and grows with these new dynamics».
This bill outlines the geographical, historical and cultural characterization of this village, a parish with the same name belonging to the municipality of Loulé, with an area of 46,21 square kilometers and an estimated population of around 6.000 inhabitants and 4089 voters. , whose location gives it “a unique centrality and which has been used for the development of activities associated with tourism without, however, losing sight of its cultural identity”.
The diploma also lists the existing equipment and establishments in the parish of Boliqueime in the areas of education, culture, health, solidarity and sport, as well as the various establishments and economic activities with local relevance, namely in the areas of general commerce, restaurants and hotels. , mobility and transport and agro-industrial activity, as well as local communities and associations.
In the bill for the elevation of Vila de Almancil to the category of City, it is noted that it has grown significantly in recent decades and it is recalled that this parish in the municipality of Loulé, with an area of 62,30 km2 and a population of 10.677 inhabitants, according to the 2011 census, it has had, since 1981, “a large population increase”, increasing its population, in this period, from 5.560 to 10.677 inhabitants.
“There is, therefore, a relevant demographic dynamic, which allows us to infer that Almancil has a great attractive capacity that is reflected both in flows relative to Portuguese territory, and in external flows in terms of emigration”, refers in the diploma, where it is explained that this parish is “strongly marked by migratory movements and the foreign diaspora, since a large part of the resident population comes from numerous origins and nationalities, which allows for great ethnic, cultural and religious diversity”.
In addition to the geographical and historical characterization of Almancil, the architectural and cultural heritage of this town is specified, as well as the natural heritage, including “some of the best beaches in Portugal with their clear, light blue waters and soft, fine sand and white”, known as “golden beaches”.
The project also takes into account the existing equipment and establishments in terms of education, sport, culture, religious worship, health and solidarity, as well as the various establishments, economic activities and local associative organizations.
In the explanatory memorandum for the diplomas, the PS parliamentarians argue that, «despite the revoking in 2012 the legal regime defining the categories of settlements and the criteria for upgrading settlements to towns, which until then had been enshrined in Law no. /11, of 82 June, the Assembly of the Republic keeps its legislative competences on the matter untouched, being responsible, in the absence of a framework normative, to judge the goodness of the option of elevation to towns and cities of the localities in which such designation is seems justified'.
«As it is desirable to issue a new regulatory diploma on the matter and that offers the legislator the unifying and harmonizing elements that are currently lacking, the Parliamentary Group of the Socialist Party also presented a Bill in this regard», they add.
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