The Faro City Council will assume management of the commercial quay on September 18, which will allow the construction of a natural marina, with a capacity for 500 vessels, the municipality said today.
In a statement, the municipality says this will be the first step to move forward with the ‘Hub Mar’ project, which foresees the creation of a marina in the inner area of the current commercial quay, along with other infrastructures linked to nautical activities and research.
The handover of the infrastructure to municipal management results, according to the municipality, from the work carried out by a commission created to draw up a preliminary report prior to signing the protocol with the Administration of the Ports of Sines and the Algarve (APS).
“With an eye to the possible expansion of the outer dock, we believe that we have all the conditions to build one of the best natural marinas in the country there,” said the president of the Faro City Council, quoted in the document.
António Miguel Pina added that the project is “practically complete” and that, “within a month or two, the environmental impact study should move forward,” which will subsequently be submitted for consideration by the various competent authorities.
For the mayor, the intervention represents “an opportunity to transform” Faro’s relationship with the sea, combining tourism, heritage, culture and economic activity.
“In essence, this is tourism. But it is also heritage and culture. It is about taking our history and turning it into value without turning it into an empty product; it is about fighting seasonality and ensuring that Faro has activity, employment and life throughout the year,” he said.
The Faro commercial quay, until now managed by the Administration of the Ports of Sines and the Algarve (APS), has ceased regular commercial activity for almost a decade.
With the transfer to the municipality, the space is expected to gain a new horizon, through the creation of a marina that aims to “recover and regenerate an area that was, for many years, landfilled,” the municipality concludes.
