The derelict Silves Cork Museum and the Fábrica do Inglês site have been submitted as one for classification in order to protect the buildings and prevent commercialisation.
The bid for national classification has been submitted by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) and was published in Official Gazette in mid-April.
Silves council’s public consultation day in February resulted in an undertaking by the director of the Cultural Heritage Department to have the entire site classified as a precursor to renewing some form of public use.
The collection now is owned by José Nogueira of the Nogueira Group who currently is winding down the bankrupt AliSuper group which failed to thrive under his ownership.
The eventual classification, according to a report by Sul Informação, will be either for 'national interest' or for 'public interest' - to be mulled over by the Conselho Nacional de Cultura with the final decision being taken by the new Minister of Culture, Luís Filipe Castro Mendes.
The end result will be that the owner of the site, Caixa Geral de Depósitos, will be prevented from developing the area even if the bank's management complains that a classification is unwarranted.
José Nogueira, who bought the cork museum's contents at auction for €36,000, will be prevented from disposing of his purchase as it will soon become of national or public interest.
Silves council earlier had applied to have the site classified so now there are two outstanding applications, one of which is certain to succeed.
With Nogueira and Caixa Geral both blocked, there is hope that the buildings may be refurbished and reopened and the Nogueira collection used as the basis for a new museum.
Who will pay for this is unclear but the award-winning museum thrived in its early days before collapsing under a mountain of suspicious debt when Isobel Soares was the Silves mayor.
