Cascais, Portugal, July 21, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese environmental group, SOS Quinta dos Ingleses, has welcomed the move by the public prosecutor's office to call for the suspension of construction work on the new Hilton hotel in Cascais, on the grounds that the licensing process was marred by irregularities.
At issue is the construction of a tourist development by the US hotel chain Hilton on Estrada Marginal (seafront road), in Parede, in the municipality of Cascais, Lisbon district.
State broadcaster, RTP revealed on Saturday that the public prosecutor's office had brought a case to suspend construction work on the Hilton development, seeking a declaration of nullity of the legal acts that authorised the hotel's licensing.
Meanwhile, the newspaper "Público", citing the prosecutor's action, details some irregularities in this licensing process which underpin the request for annulment and the suspension of construction work.
One of the irregularities cited is the acquisition and annexation by the hotel developer of a plot of land measuring 3,554 m², which included a public road, as a means of maintaining the initial project, which envisaged the construction of seven storeys.
This solution, put forward by the developers and accepted by Cascais municipal council, arose after the council concluded that the initial project exceeded the permitted floor area for that zone by 2,135.15 m².
The prosecutor's office now wants the Cascais council to order the demolition – at least partial – of the top three storeys, as well as the restoration of the land where it considers construction should not have taken place.
This action by the prosecutor's office follows a criminal complaint lodged on 8 September 2023 by the environmental association SOS Quinta dos Ingleses against the Cascais council.
The complaint is directed against the local authority of Cascais, the former mayor, Carlos Carreiras (PSD), the former deputy mayor and current minister for infrastructure and housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, the councillor for urban planning who was responsible for approving the work at the time, Filipa Roseta (PSD), and the current mayor, Nuno Piteira Lopes (PSD).
«This confirms what we have believed for the past three years. Naturally, we would have liked this to have moved more quickly and for the work to have been halted some time ago. However, we welcome the fact that the prosecutor's office has decided to proceed with this,» Pedro Jordão, of SOS Quinta dos Ingleses, told the Lusa news agency.
The spokesperson for the environmental movement considered that the prosecutor's action confirms the concerns expressed in the complaint submitted to the Attorney General's office, adding that he hopes the criminal proceedings relating to the development will «proceed swiftly», with official suspects being named.
He also expressed the hope that the court would recognise the illegality of the planning permission and order «the complete demolition» of the building or, «at the very least», of the top three storeys, which were allegedly built higher than permitted.
«That is a particularly vulnerable area in terms of earthquakes and tsunamis, and it is situated very close to the waterfront. With sea levels rising at a rate higher than scientifically predicted, it will always be a very vulnerable area from all these perspectives,» he argued.
When questioned by Lusa, a source at the Cascais council stated that it had not received any legal notification, but pointed out that the planning permission process had been carried out "with all favourable opinions from all internal and external bodies».
Meanwhile, when contacted by Lusa, a source from the office of the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, indicated that the minister «fully» respects the public prosecutor's actions and said he had «complete confidence» that the issues raised in the administrative proceedings «will be assessed by the courts».
«It is important, however, to clarify certain facts. The action relates to a series of administrative acts carried out between 2010 and 2025 by various municipal bodies and different office-holders. Many of these acts were not carried out by me,» the minister pointed out.
Miguel Pinto Luz also clarified that licensing decisions «were always taken on the basis of technical and legal opinions from the relevant departments of the Cascais council» and that «no decision was issued contrary to those opinions».
«I should not comment on a case that is pending. Cascais council will have the opportunity to present its defence and to explain the grounds for the decisions taken, which were always guided by the greater public interest,» he concluded.
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