Demolition starts at Ourigo Beach, Porto: APA work lasts 20 days and costs €77,000

Demolition at Ourigo Beach in Porto begins on Tuesday

Demolition work begins this Tuesday on the skeletal remains of the former beach bar at Ourigo Beach, in Porto. According to the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), the operation is scheduled to last 20 days and will cost around €77,000.

Why the old structure is being taken down

For years, steel, concrete and timber elements have been left standing on the sand at Ourigo Beach. As the APA explains: "The structures, remaining from a former beach-support building, long since decommissioned, are exposed and in an advanced state of deterioration on the beach, posing a safety risk to users and an obstacle to the beach’s natural recovery. Their continued presence also compromises the integrity of the coastal system and the protection of the public maritime domain."

Scope of the APA works: full removal of all elements

The intervention, which starts this afternoon, covers "the demolition and complete removal" of the structures. This includes "the slabs, walls, piles, the entrance pergola, access steps and foundations", as well as the decommissioning and removal of the old water-supply and wastewater infrastructure that still remains on site.

Site reinstatement and timing in the bathing season

Once the work is finished, "a general clean-up will be carried out and the natural profile of the beach will be restored in the intervened area", adds the APA, which will fund the works.

The agency also notes: "Carried out at the start of the bathing season, this intervention ensures safety conditions for those who visit Ourigo Beach, promotes the natural recovery of the coastal system and fulfils the APA’s responsibilities to protect and enhance the public maritime domain."