Amadora, Lisbon, Oct. 27, 2025 (Lusa) - The Portuguese minister for the environment on Monday announced a number of measures to resolve cases of blocked access to beaches in the south western Alentejo coastal region of Grandola and the Algarve region by tourist developments, such as new car parks, without committing to having the solutions ready before the summer.
The solutions presented mainly involve the construction or refurbishment of existing accesses, the construction of new public car parks and, in one case, moving the beachfront closer to the access.
According to Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho, with regard to the blocked accesses in Grândola, “everything that is going to be done has been decided”, and it is now necessary to wait for the newly elected local council to be installed, although the issues had already been “resolved with the previous mayor ”.
“With everything that needs planning and construction, we cannot guarantee that it will be completely ready before the next bathing season begins. Things take time, construction takes time in Portugal, but they are not yet to be decided. The decisions have been made, in Grândola they have been made,” she said during a presentation of the 2025 bathing season report at the headquarters of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) in Alfragide, Amadora, in the Lisbon region.
According to the president of the APA, José Pimenta Machado, inspections on the Grândola coastline detected two beaches with controlled access (Troia-Galé and Galé-Fontainhas), seven with access restricted by the existence or construction of tourist developments (Camarinhas, Galé-Fontainhas, Troia-Galé, Duna Cinzenta, Golfinhos, Garças and Pinheirinho) and one beach with prohibited access (Raposa).
In August and September, 29 beaches in the Algarve were inspected, with infringements detected at Poço Velho beach in Albufeira, where public access was blocked, and Verdelago beach in Castro Marim, where access was restricted.
In one of the two cases in the Algarve, the owner of the development is unknown, “ but a solution will also be found if the owner cannot be found,” added the minister.
“Nothing is under negotiation, the decisions have been made,” she stressed.
According to the president of the APA environment agency, José Pimenta Machado, in relation to the Grândola front, the classification of some beaches in this section and their accesses is being reviewed, as well as the possible creation of new beach fronts.
On this stretch of the Alentejo coast, at Galé-Fontainhas beach, there is a municipal project to implement the beach plan set out in the Coastal Programme, south of the campsite, with access to a public car park with around 350 spaces.
This project has already been approved and has applied for EU funding, added Pimenta Machado, pointing out that this beach also has pedestrian access through the campsite, with parking spaces at the entrance.
At Duna Cinzenta beach, the public pedestrian access and emergency access, which are shared with Camarinhas beach, will be upgraded.
The tourist development under construction at Duna Cinzenta beach has committed to providing unrestricted public parking to support beach use (50 spaces in the development complex, in addition to 130 spaces outside).
At Camarinhas, the location of a new access to the beach is being studied and the relocation of the beachfront to bring it closer to the existing path, which will be upgraded, is being analysed.
On this beach, there are plans to build a car park on private property, with 250 spaces.
A development under construction will provide public access and parking to support beach use, with around 150 spaces at Golfinhos beach and around 50 public parking spaces for access to Garças beach.
In Comporta, a rear car park with 60 spaces will be created to support beach use and at Aberta Nova beach, the local authority of Grândola will proceed with the construction of a car park with 230 spaces.
For now, according to the president of the APA, on the day following the inspection, signs were placed at the entrance to tourist accommodation with information about the existence of public access and parking at the entrances to the developments that provide access to the beaches.
In Castro Marim, in the eastern Algarve, restricted access to Verdelago beach was detected, through the interior of a tourist development, requiring the opening of a gate with a bell, “with unclear signage”.
In this case, a notification was issued for the installation of clear signage indicating the route to the beach and the creation of alternative parking to the west, closer to the beach, Pimenta Machado pointed out.
In Albufeira, the main access to Poço Velho beach is blocked by a gate on private land, with unregulated parking areas on private land.
This is a case in which the APA environment agency is identifying and contacting the owners of the adjacent land with the aim of opening the gate and liaising with the local authority of Albufeira to plan and guarantee parking and access.
RCS/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
