Lagos City Council will regulate access to Praias da Dona Ana and Praia do Camilo, with the aim of «guaranteeing the desired levels of security».
At the last meeting of the executive, the draft regulation was approved, which will now be submitted to public consultation and subsequent approval by the deliberative body of the municipality.
According to the Municipality, the aim is for these rules and the respective sanctioning regime to come into force during the current bathing season.
At the origin of the concerns of the municipality, is the fact that these two bathing areas, as they are located on a stretch of coastline with high cliffs, have access exclusively via «extensive and sharply winding staircases», there being a need to – in favor of the conditions of safety and comfort – «to limit the use of users who carry bulky equipment intended for the practice of nautical sporting activities.
Thus, the project foresees that, during the bathing season, access to these bathing areas through the staircase, by holders of boards or water sports boats or even underwater diving equipment, will be prevented between 9:00 am and 19:00 pm.
The same prohibition applies to the placement of material/equipment to support the practice of nautical sports activities (surfing, Stand Up Paddle (SUP), windsurfing, kitesurfing, kayaking or canoeing) on the sand of bathing units.
According to the municipality, this initiative takes place within the framework of the new responsibilities of the municipality in terms of management of maritime beaches integrated in the public water domain of the State and stems «from the need to promote the valorization of coastal resources, manage the pressure on the coastal strip and in bathing areas, in order to ensure the sustainable exploitation of natural resources, the qualification of the landscape and, not least, adequate risk prevention».
The new municipal rules, which will soon be subject to public consultation, are intended to "harmonize the different uses and activities with the safeguard of the environment and the well-being of beach users".
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