Antônio Cotrim / Lusa
For years, the idea was created that anyone going to the beach and not renting an umbrella or sun lounger would not be able to set up in front of the concession areas. Apparently there was never any law prohibiting this.
The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) confirmed this Monday, in a statement, that the requirement not to place parasols in front of concessions “is an abuse”.
According to the APA, there is no prohibition to place hats in front of the concession areas on the beaches. The agency said that signage will be removed which indicates to bathers the areas where they can place their umbrellas, and that “a note will be published to clarify all entities”.
“The concession area is bounded by that rectangle and can never exceed 30% of the useful area of the beach and 50% of the sea front. Everything else is free to use”, he reinforced José Pimenta Machadopresident of APA, following doubts recently raised on the topic.
The controversy arose from news published last week, which clarified that, contrary to what many people still think, there is no any law that preventsto place the sun hat in front of the concessions.
Also this Monday, the beach concessionaires asked for clarification rules on placing private parasols in front of your concessions.
Speaking to journalists, André Sousaa concessionaire on Garrão beach, in the Algarve, stated that the situation is the result of a lack of consensus and guidance clear, highlighting that operators have, until now, followed the instructions contained in existing signage and beach notices.
“The truth is that It seems like there never was any lawbut in the beach announcements he was always saying that it was mandatory to comply with the signs in force”, he stated, considering that the concessionaires organize the space, recommending that users place their parasols outside shadow areas of concessions.
Despite criticism from the head of APA, André Sousa argues that dealers did not act abusively. “I don’t think it was abuse. I simply think that all dealerships complied with the rules in force, in which there were signs that you were obliged to put up”, he maintained.
According to the person responsible, the problem lies in different interpretations of the standards. “The beach notice also has its own rules and now it seems that there is no consensus. They tell us one thing, another is written. We, dealers, need to see this resolved so we know how to proceed.”
“We never force anyone to leave. We always recommend it to people, informing all users that the umbrella area, as indicated by the signage, is on that side. There are those who comply, there are those who comply, there are those who do not comply.”, he explained.
The dealer also highlighted that it is not up to operators enforce any restrictions because they are not “any authority”. According to André Sousa, This responsibility belongs to the maritime police and “people were often seen being fined and removed from the area and others not”.
Still, he admits that the eventual widespread permission to place private umbrellas in front of concessions could have economic impact.
“Probably yes, because the user who will pay to be in a concession area, with the right to a sun lounger and umbrella, if there is a person right in front with a private hat, Maybe you won’t find it very funny”, he stated.
João Carreira is a concessionaire in Costa de Caparica and rejected the idea of “abuse” by those responsible for the concessions, stating that bathers were never prohibited from wearing hats and the owners manage the space to ensure orderly occupation.
“There is no abuse”, declared João Carreira, ensuring that dealers “They don’t say don’t wear hats on the beach” and have “the granted area divided into two zones”, placing their shadow zones at 30% of the concession.
At the front are the lifeguards and “the rest of the 70% is a free zonefor the user to take their hat”, he detailed, arguing that “it doesn’t make sense to be disorderly and create a lack of security”.
João Carreira stressed that the zones are identified with signs approved by the maritime authorities, with the area for private parasols on the sides of the shaded area being the responsibility of the concessionaire.
The dealer also defended that “it doesn’t make much sense” someone is under the umbrella of the concession and someone else put on a particular hat next to.
“That doesn’t make much sensebecause we have the responsibility to guarantee the safety of the beach, we have the responsibility to provide, in quotation marks, our bathrooms to be used by everyone and we do not charge anything”, he says.
“So, we provide security and support to all users. And, in turn, we have these counterparts of exploiting 30%”, he explained, appealing to “common sense” so as not to create problems where there are none.
