On Thursday, the Almada City Council in the Setúbal district decided to prohibit pedestrian traffic on the Ginjal pier, from near the Cacilhas ferry terminal to the dining establishments at Olho de Boi, due to the area’s state of extreme degradation, declaring a “state of alert” under the Civil Protection Framework Law.
In a city council meeting today, the President of the Council, Inês de Medeiros, announced that starting Tuesday, a physical barrier over two meters high will begin to be erected to restrict access to the area, a project expected to take three days.
Inês de Medeiros explained the plan to build a wall with a gate to block access to the zone and criticized recent “pilgrimages” to the site despite the alert status and inherent danger.
“Danger is danger, and that’s why we’ve decided on a wall and a gate — to stop these pilgrimages,” she stated.
Additionally, the council has activated a Temporary Housing and Support Zone (ZCAP) to accommodate about 50 people living in various buildings in the Ginjal area for approximately two weeks.
These zones are set up by Civil Protection to temporarily house people displaced from unsafe areas, offering services like housing and meals for a set duration.
The Vice-President of the Almada City Council, Teodolinda Silveira, explained that this area would be located at Anselmo de Andrade Secondary School, with social services monitoring each situation individually.
Today’s decision attracted criticism from one resident opposed to leaving the area and a representative of Gira Ginjal, a community and cultural space that originated there.
In response, Inês de Medeiros asserted, “The issues at hand are about safety,” further stating that “nobody can remain in that area.”
The President highlighted that the council has no involvement in the occupation of privately owned properties. Given the danger, however, the Ginjal path will indeed be closed off.
She emphasized that once permanent barriers are established, nobody will be allowed to stay.
The council’s ban is in effect until May 1, and notices have been sent to property owners and the Administration of the Port of Lisbon (APL) regarding necessary repairs. However, the APL, in a statement to the Lusa news agency, claimed it is not within their jurisdiction to intervene at Ginjal pier, placing responsibility on the council and private owners.
The Mayor expressed surprise at this stance, arguing in comments to Lusa on Thursday that this contradicts the APL’s previous positions.
Questioned by Lusa about the degradation in the area, the APL responded that while the area is under port jurisdiction, it is not part of the maritime public domain, referencing Opinions from the Public Domain Commission numbers 1884, dated May 11, 1954, and 2051, dated July 26, 1955.
The APL specified its role, per Decree-Law number 336/98 of November 3 and Law number 58/2005 of December 29, is limited to administering, licensing, and overseeing public domain assets under its management.
Inês de Medeiros disputes this interpretation, insisting there should be no ongoing shifts in understanding the obligations and authorities of each entity.
“They are responsible for the maintenance and conservation of port infrastructure,” she said, adding she awaits a report from them by Friday, as previously agreed.
