Grândola, Portugal, June 16, 2025 (Lusa) - The Setúbal Judicial Court has ordered the reopening of the access road to Pego beach, municipality of Grândola, and the immediate removal of gates and other obstacles placed there, it announced on Monday.

In a joint statement sent to the Lusa news agency, the real estate groups Vanguard Properties and Amorim Luxury, developers of tourism projects in the area and who filed the injunction in court, welcomed the decision.

“Amorim Luxury and Vanguard Properties see this court decision as a milestone in protecting the legal security of investments in Portugal, reinforcing the commitment to sustainable and transparent development in the region,” the statement said.

A source from these two real estate groups told Lusa today that the parties filed the injunction in January this year, and the Setúbal Court announced its decision last Friday.

The action sought to restore access to the road that the Casas da Encosta condominium had blocked since October 2022 in the Lagoa Formosa area, which comprises more than 50 houses.

“The court ordered the immediate removal of gates and all other obstacles placed on the road that crosses Loteamento L7 and ensures the connection between the public road and the Carvalhal Tourist Development Centre (NDTC),” Vanguard Properties and Amorim Luxury said.

The ruling, they claimed, “affirms that the roadblock restricted legally established rights of way, potentially limiting the free movement of people and vehicles”.

Vanguard Properties is the developer of the Dunas - Terras da Comporta development, while the Amorim Luxury group is responsible for the Jncquoi restaurant on Pego beach.

The ruling states that the road “is considered essential for the operation and development of the largest hotel, tourist and residential investment planned for the region, involving hundreds of millions of euros.”

The court notes that keeping the road open “ensures serious and daily gains for the applicant companies,” which “have already invested tens of millions of euros” in the area.

The obstruction of access caused “a direct monthly loss of €509,704.65 in financial and operating costs alone”, the applicants argued.

The court ruling recognised “the legal existence of the public right of way, provided for in the Land Subdivision Permit and the NDTC Detailed Plan”. It held that the road required unimpeded access to ensure “the continued viability and value of the largest hotel, tourist and residential project in the region”.

“The ruling also warns that prompt corrections can prevent further damage and safeguard the viability of the project,” it said.

According to the statement, in addition to ordering the reopening of the road, the court “directs the defendants only to adopt measures that ensure the free use of the road in question”.

According to the preliminary injunction, consulted by Lusa, the road in question is now called Alameda dos Pinheiros - formerly Estrada das Lagoas - which connects the village of Carvalhal to the beaches of Pego and Carvalhal to the NDTC, and is a private road subject to public right of way.

RRL/ADB // ADB.

Lusa