The president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) considered this Monday that the ban on placing umbrellas in front of bathing concessions constitutes “an abuse”, guaranteeing that the entity will issue a note of clarification on the use of beaches this week.
The statements were made during a visit by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, to Praia do Garrão, in the municipality of Loulé, where an action was taken to monitor the sand replacement works in that coastal stretch.
“The only area that is encumbered and that is concessioned is the one that is delimited by that rectangle and nothing else, let’s be clear, everything else is free to use”, stated José Pimenta Machado.
Asked about the signage on some beaches in the Algarve, which prevents bathers from placing parasols in front of the concessions, the person responsible responded directly: “Yes, it is an abuse, there is no doubt about that”.
APA promises clarification before the bathing season
José Pimenta Machado explained that this situation occurs mainly in the Algarve and reinforced that only the delimited area of the concessions can be reserved for concessionaires.
“It’s just that [área]and more: it must never exceed 30% of the useful area of the beach and it must never exceed 50% of the front, in essence, it is the sea front”, he said.
According to the president of APA, an interpretative note will be issued by the end of the week aimed at standardizing rules with municipalities, concessionaires and the Maritime Authority, before the official start of the bathing season, scheduled for June 1st.
“Let’s make a note so that there is no doubt about the interpretation of the granted areas. There is an area that is granted. The rest is free to use”, he insisted.
The person responsible also acknowledged that there is “some confusion” about this matter in the Algarve, highlighting that in the rest of the national territory the situation is not the same.
Minister reinforces that beaches “are public”
The Minister of the Environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, also reiterated that Portuguese beaches continue to be public spaces.
“The beaches are public, always have been and continue to be,” he stated.
The official also assured that bathers can place parasols in front of the concessions and added that she will accompany the implementation of formal clarification on the ground.
The visit to Praia do Garrão also served to mark the completion of the sand replacement operation on a coastal stretch of around seven kilometers.
The minister also revealed that, taking advantage of the presence of dredgers on site, a complementary reinforcement of around 620 thousand cubic meters of sand will be carried out over the next 15 days, ensuring that the intervention will not affect the bathing season.
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