Municipal council planners have given their full approval for the Palmeiras Resort project which had been delayed after questions were raised by two non-governmental environment protection groups which claim that parts of the proposed project violated the government’s PROTAL regional planning control laws. Following several months of court actions brought by Quercus and the League for the Protection of Nature (LPN) against the resort’s developers, Sorimin, the company announced last week that the necessary approval had been forthcoming and that the project will be able to move ahead.

The environmental watchdog group, Quercus, still challenges the project’s licensing, accusing local and regional authorities of ignoring national and international regulations governing protected nature areas. Along with the LPN, the group said that the building of a roundabout on the edge of the resort would encroach upon part of the protected Ria Formosa Nature Reserve. In a statement sent to the press last week, Sorimin replies that the roundabout is part of a municipal plan, approved by the governing body, Estradas Portugal (EP), to improve safety and facilitate the flow of traffic, and that there is no connection to the Palmeiras Resort.

Tavira council maintains that the project complies with all national and local regulations, and that roads built within the resort were included in Tavira’s town plans. The developers have agreed to build extra parking spaces outside the resort to comply with planners’ requests to alleviate envisaged congestion problems and to offer some of the proposed green spaces for public enjoyment. Buildings within the resort will not exceed four storeys as required by Tavira’s planning rules.

Tavira’s Mayor, Macário Correia, has denied the existence of any irregularity in the licensing of the Palm Resort and has accused the environmentalist groups of “having no basis” and a “lack of honesty” following their claims, demanding that Quercus should publicly apologise for statements made against the council. The environmentalists have said they will continue to challenge the plan’s approval and will continue to post the results of a public enquiry into the Palmeiras project on their website.