DEVELOPERS OF the new Ferragudo Marina
want to increase the project to cover all the areas on that bank of
the River Arade. According to a report in Portuguese newspaper
Barlavento, they believe that the abandoned land, which is currently
full of rubbish, should be used to create parks and leisure areas,
making the zone surrounding the marina and Pavilhão do Arade
(congress centre) more attractive.
The proposal from developers Sociedade
de Marinas do Barlavento (SMB) is currently being discussed with the
Instituto Portuário e dos Transportes Marítimos (IPTM),
the ports and maritime transports institute. According to Eurico
Correia, managing director of the company, the aim is to guarantee a
coherent landscape and, at the same time, add greater value to the
project.
SMB feel apprehensive about constructing the new
marina at Ferragudo, as the objective of creating a high quality
structure could be negatively affected by the rubbish and wasteland.
The area at stake is the land between the marina and the fishing
port, between the marina’s hotel and the Pavilhão do Arade,
part of which is already under construction, as are some areas up to
the EN125. “We want to have a plan approved by Lagoa Câmara
and the IPTM, so that it is possible to make substantial improvements
in the area,” said a spokesperson for SMB.
The initiative
will also allow SMB to establish a venue, with a capacity for 1,100
people, on the site of an old canning factory just off the port area,
which will offer one of the best locations for staging shows,
international events and congresses. The venue would be linked to the
marina, its hotel and the Pavilhão do Arade.
With 320
moorings, Ferragudo Marina promises to make the Arade one of the
principal points for nautical activity in the country. The area will
boast a 350-bed hotel, a 1,000sqm shopping centre and an area for
property development with space for 120 apartments and 50 luxury
villas.
The contract terms are currently being discussed and
all that remains is the final details of the speciality projects and
the environmental impact study. It is expected that the work to
construct the marina complex will commence in October 2006,
representing an investment of between 80 and 100 million euros.
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