Grândola, Portugal, July 3, 2025 (Lusa) - The private condominium Casas da Encosta, in the parish of Carvalhal, municipality of Grândola, will contest the decision of the Setúbal Judicial Court that ordered the removal of the gates inside the property, it announced on Thursday.
In a statement sent to the Lusa news agency, Casas da Encosta (CdE) said it “seeks to defend its position and contest the injunction” that the real estate groups Vanguard Properties and Amorim Luxury filed in the Setúbal Judicial Court in January this year, groups that develop other tourist projects in that area of the municipality of Grândola, district of Setúbal.
In deciding to challenge the court’s decision, CdE intends to “prove that the private boundaries of the condominium do not include any right of way or public road,” as “attested by the property documents,” the statement said.
The Setúbal Court’s decision, dated 13 June, ordered “the immediate removal of gates and all other obstacles placed on the road that crosses the Loteamento L7 and ensures the connection between the public road and the Carvalhal Tourist Development Centre (NDTC)”.
In a series of statements released on 16 June, Vanguard Properties and Amorim Luxury announced this court decision, which followed an injunction they filed to restore the right of way on the road that, they claim, provides access to Pego beach and that CdE, a condominium consisting of more than 50 houses, has secured with gates since October 2022.
A source from Casas da Encosta told Lusa today that the security gates, installed “inside their private property” in Carvalhal, “are now open”, in compliance with a “provisional and preliminary court decision”.
“This road provides access to the adjacent land known as the Carvalhal Tourist Development Centre, where several companies linked to Vanguard Properties and Amorim Luxury intend to develop real estate projects, and beach access lies elsewhere,” argued the condominium.
In the statement, the CdE also said that “the installation of these gates” predates the acquisition of the land by Vanguard Properties and Amorim Luxury and added that “Pego beach has always been and remains accessible by public roads and local roads that provide alternative routes to” this tourist development.
In addition to calling the precautionary measure “surprising” because the court ordered it “without a prior hearing”, this project emphasised that the court’s decision “undermines the privacy and security of this private condominium and its residents”.
“Security gates enable the condominium to control the daily passage of vehicles and visitors, a measure that protects residents, reduces noise and environmental pollution, and supports a peaceful living environment,” it claimed.
Casas da Encosta also stated that it is committed to defending its rights and said it has full confidence in the Portuguese judicial system.
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 court ruling recognised “the legal existence of the public right of way, as provided for in the Land Subdivision Permit and the NDTC Detailed Plan”.
It ruled that the “illegally cut” road undermined the viability and value of the largest hotel, tourist and residential project in the region.
According to the decision of 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.
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