I've just been reading that plans are in place to commence work on a 500 hectare theme park near Silves.
As if that's not enough,there are also plans to build a Formula 1 racing circuit at Mexhiloera Grande just outside Lagos.At the moment this is a typical Portuguese hamlet - one of those lovely little places where you have to stand at the railway station with your hand out to stop the train ! -but it looks as if that's going to be sacrificed in the name of progress.
People who regularly visit and love the Algarve will know what is being thrown away,but,for those people who have yet to experience the Algarve,I would say go sooner rather than later because the developers are spoiling it with incredible speed and are taking away something that they can never replace.
Thanks Glynis,
That makes it sound even worse than I had imagined !!
Lots of plans have been rumoured in the past only to sink without trace,but it sounds as if this one is here to stay
That makes it sound even worse than I had imagined !!
Lots of plans have been rumoured in the past only to sink without trace,but it sounds as if this one is here to stay
Sagres,
As MOH says, "nothing ever stays the same in Portugal"...........but oh how they are spoiling things
Cabanas is such a small village that it is difficult to see major attractions like theme parks springing up but........the building.........sooooo many apartments springing up, all unoccupied or for sale. They are taking away all the natural areas and for whose benefit????
The only thing that they can't change (hopefully) are the wonderful,friendly Portuguese people!!!!
Pat
As MOH says, "nothing ever stays the same in Portugal"...........but oh how they are spoiling things
Cabanas is such a small village that it is difficult to see major attractions like theme parks springing up but........the building.........sooooo many apartments springing up, all unoccupied or for sale. They are taking away all the natural areas and for whose benefit????
The only thing that they can't change (hopefully) are the wonderful,friendly Portuguese people!!!!
Pat
That is devastating news! I thought that at last the Portuguese authorities had seen the error of their ways in allowing "Costa del Sol" developments in central and eastern Algarve and had restricted building in the western sector. e.g. Lagos, Silves, Sagres etc. Only last week I was conversing with a Lagos businessman who stated that such developments were not to be allowed. It will soon be "Blackpool in the sun" all along the coast. Thank God Madeira has much more control over such things. What next, a theme park at Cabo Sao Vincente?
I thought that at last the Portuguese authorities had seen the error of their ways in allowing "Costa del Sol" developments in central and eastern Algarve and had restricted building in the western sector. e.g. Lagos, Silves, Sagres etc. Only last week I was conversing with a Lagos businessman who stated that such developments were not to be allowed. It will soon be "Blackpool in the sun" all along the coast. Thank God Madeira has much more control over such things. What next, a theme park at Cabo Sao Vincente?
The only good thing (if there can be any good) about the building work in Cabanas is that they are all low-rise apartments. Nothing is higher than 3 levels.
It's just a shame that all the open areas are being destroyed not to mention the harm that is being done to the wild life there.
Pat
It's just a shame that all the open areas are being destroyed not to mention the harm that is being done to the wild life there.
Pat
What next, a theme park at Cabo Sao Vincente?
Don't give them ideas;next thing you know, they'll have turned the lighthouse into a helter-skelter !!
I've actually stood in the top section of the lighthouse whilst it was operational and,believe me,it's got to be less scary sliding down the outside of it than standing inside whilst it's spinning !! 
On the contrary,Pat - stone-cold sober when I went in and shaking too much to hold a glass when I came out.Mrs. S. swears it was that b***** lighthouse that started her vertigo off !!!
To be fair though who is it that is ruining it? The local people are only responding to the demand of the Brits to purchase there.
The same thing has happened in the UK from the sixties on with the decimation of rural life in Wales, Cornwall, The Lakes etc. (In Wales even to the point of changing the spoken tounge in many villages and towns)
As people have become more affluent and more adventurous they have broadened their catch net to Spain, Portugal etc.
The Portuguese people and authorities are surely only responding to this demand and can see a way of making what is historically a poor relation of the EU into a more wealthy country.
I think it is then down to the individual as to what way of life they want when they are there. For instance Pat when I am in Cabanas I won't pay the Polakas price for a beer and sit with a load of ex-pats watching UK Sky TV, I will go next door to the Belmar, pay a third of the price and mix with the locals.
Yes we would all love a nice secluded house in a rural typical Portuguese area but for a lot of us an apartment is a relatively cheap way of escaping what is fast becoming the United Blairdom.
The same thing has happened in the UK from the sixties on with the decimation of rural life in Wales, Cornwall, The Lakes etc. (In Wales even to the point of changing the spoken tounge in many villages and towns)
As people have become more affluent and more adventurous they have broadened their catch net to Spain, Portugal etc.
The Portuguese people and authorities are surely only responding to this demand and can see a way of making what is historically a poor relation of the EU into a more wealthy country.
I think it is then down to the individual as to what way of life they want when they are there. For instance Pat when I am in Cabanas I won't pay the Polakas price for a beer and sit with a load of ex-pats watching UK Sky TV, I will go next door to the Belmar, pay a third of the price and mix with the locals.
Yes we would all love a nice secluded house in a rural typical Portuguese area but for a lot of us an apartment is a relatively cheap way of escaping what is fast becoming the United Blairdom.
Hi Taff,
Never been in Polakis, never want to!!!!!
Like you, we go to CRC, O Escalho or some of the tiny Portuguese bars around Cabby in order to mix with the locals.
Would I know you from Cabby????? Have you been going there long?
Pat
Never been in Polakis, never want to!!!!!
Like you, we go to CRC, O Escalho or some of the tiny Portuguese bars around Cabby in order to mix with the locals.
Would I know you from Cabby????? Have you been going there long?
Pat
What a shame - I had my first visit to Portugal last year but as I was with a small child we never left Carveorio and I really want to go back at some point, get ahire car and explore further afield staying in some 'traditional' places.
Purely from a personal point of view as an F1 fan if that plan comes off then maybe I could tailor my hol around a race with a stop off in Lagos
Purely from a personal point of view as an F1 fan if that plan comes off then maybe I could tailor my hol around a race with a stop off in Lagos
That's all well and good,Puddleduck,but,if F1 comes to town,where are you going to find decent accommodation at anything other than extortionate prices ?
In response to Taff's post,I think it's unfair to blame "the Brits"for the developements referred to;firstly many other nationalities - Irish,Dutch, French and German that I know of - are buying property on the Algarve and,secondly,just because non-Portuguese are settling, or at least investing in the area, is no reason,in my view,to go building massive theme parks and motor racing circuits.It's just possible that they are choosing to settle there because they like it the way it is. Certainly, as far as the motor circuit is concerned, there is already a Formula 1 track in Estoril which, for a country the size of Portugal,I would have thought was quite sufficient.
.....and a final thought - what's the betting that the plans for the theme park will include planning permission for residential developements " to offset the cost of the investment in the hitherto undeveloped area"?
In response to Taff's post,I think it's unfair to blame "the Brits"for the developements referred to;firstly many other nationalities - Irish,Dutch, French and German that I know of - are buying property on the Algarve and,secondly,just because non-Portuguese are settling, or at least investing in the area, is no reason,in my view,to go building massive theme parks and motor racing circuits.It's just possible that they are choosing to settle there because they like it the way it is. Certainly, as far as the motor circuit is concerned, there is already a Formula 1 track in Estoril which, for a country the size of Portugal,I would have thought was quite sufficient.
.....and a final thought - what's the betting that the plans for the theme park will include planning permission for residential developements " to offset the cost of the investment in the hitherto undeveloped area"?
MONEY!
That's the only reason for the developments here in the Algarve and indeed anywhere else.
So long as there people with the cash/desire to either relocate or buy a second home in a warmer climate there will always be people willing to sell their land to make a fast buck. Certainly beats scratching a living raising goats or growing fruit.
Throw in the insatiable desire for holidays and cheap (government subsidised) air travel and that's your recipe for massive development anywhere where it's warm and sunny.
OK so I am guilty of certain of these temptations but the sheer amount of development is overwhelming. There are already problems with water supply at certain times - I read somewhere that annual rainfall has declined 10% over the last 20 years and the population of the Algarve has doubled, to say nothing of the hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers.
Someone has to pay for the massive infrastructure improvements that will be needed - I wonder if the developers will pay their share?
In twenty years what is to become of these speculative developments? The original backers will have made their profits. They won't care.
Next thing will be another airport - Portimao perhaps? Nice little field there just right to take the overflow from Faro. Or there's some nice land just to the north of Sagres?
At least the weather is improving!
That's the only reason for the developments here in the Algarve and indeed anywhere else.
So long as there people with the cash/desire to either relocate or buy a second home in a warmer climate there will always be people willing to sell their land to make a fast buck. Certainly beats scratching a living raising goats or growing fruit.
Throw in the insatiable desire for holidays and cheap (government subsidised) air travel and that's your recipe for massive development anywhere where it's warm and sunny.
OK so I am guilty of certain of these temptations but the sheer amount of development is overwhelming. There are already problems with water supply at certain times - I read somewhere that annual rainfall has declined 10% over the last 20 years and the population of the Algarve has doubled, to say nothing of the hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers.
Someone has to pay for the massive infrastructure improvements that will be needed - I wonder if the developers will pay their share?
In twenty years what is to become of these speculative developments? The original backers will have made their profits. They won't care.
Next thing will be another airport - Portimao perhaps? Nice little field there just right to take the overflow from Faro. Or there's some nice land just to the north of Sagres?
At least the weather is improving!
Next thing will be another airport - Portimao perhaps?
About 5 or 6 years ago,I remember, there were rumours of a second airport being built on the western Algarve, but nothing materialized.
It's only a thought, but, if they build the Formula 1 track,perhaps they could use the back straight as a runway ( except on racedays,of course !!)
Hi Cubsur,
Glad you could join us, and I expect quite a few of us will know you from other forums!
How long are we going to have our cheap air travel, does anyone think? We should all be conscientious in protecting our future environment ........ but we all want to come out to the Algarve as often as possible for as little as possible. How many of us would be willing to pay a premium? Well, probably most of us, if we had no choice. Since the idea behind making cheap flights a thing of the past is to discourage people from flying, do you think it would have the desired result?
Glad you could join us, and I expect quite a few of us will know you from other forums!
Throw in the insatiable desire for holidays and cheap (government subsidised) air travel
How long are we going to have our cheap air travel, does anyone think? We should all be conscientious in protecting our future environment ........ but we all want to come out to the Algarve as often as possible for as little as possible. How many of us would be willing to pay a premium? Well, probably most of us, if we had no choice. Since the idea behind making cheap flights a thing of the past is to discourage people from flying, do you think it would have the desired result?
I am a "goddie two shoes". I sail to Portugal in my yacht.!
lets look at it another way.. if air fairs were to become excessive we could all drive to Portugal or Spain, but then which is more polluting 280 people in one aircraft or 280 people in say120 cars
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