Portimão Council intends to move ahead before the year end with the first of two renovation projects for the old Lota de Portimão power station building on the dockside near the old bridge.
The first part of the overall project is to carry out urgent renovation work to stop the building decaying further. This work to replace the roof and fix the walls is budgeted at an eye-watering €350,000 with €80,000 coming from the ERDF community fund.
Later, a second phase, bringing the total spend up to €1.4 million, aims to convert the building into a venue for cultural events, festivities, celebrations etc - all the usual stuff announced with a flourish when there is no clear plan.
No budget has been announced for this part of the renovation, nor a date when it will start and end.
This second phase has not yet been approved
The last time the same work was announced was in December 2016 when the Council stated that it had awarded a contract to local company Urbicial, Construções e Engenharia Lda to fix up the eyesore prior to bringing the building back to life.
It is not known which company will carry out the work but many will be keen to do it for a lot less than €300,000.
Situated in a prime position overlooking the Arade river, just to the south of the road bridge as you enter the city from Parchal, the building had anyway been deteriorating before and finally being closed by the council and ignored.
There has interest from the private sector due to the building’s prime location but successive councils have failed to decide what to do with the building, so its structure has been left to get worse.
The 1916 building housed Portimão's first power station. It became a warehouse in the 50s and in the late 80s was used as a sardine restaurant.
This building is part of the Municipal Master Plan of Portimão as a property of municipal interest but has been of no interest at all to the Council for decades which, to its shame, has stood by as the building degenerated to the point where it needs a completely new roof, thus stripping out the original supports.
