The Lisbon City Council has launched a dedicated website detailing the Public Parking Project of Entrecampos (PEPE), which has sparked controversy due to the planned removal of 22 jacaranda trees from Avenida 5 de Outubro. According to the site, the new underground parking facility is described as the “new friend of the neighborhood,” and the council clarifies that not all jacaranda trees will be removed from the area.
“Of the 75 jacaranda trees currently existing on the avenue, 30 will be retained, 22 will be transplanted, and only 25, which currently do not have conditions for survival due to their general state, will be removed and replaced with 39 new specimens. By the end of the requalification, the avenue will maintain 69 jacaranda trees,” the site notes.
The redevelopment of the area will include a new parking facility with 400 public spaces, 60 reserved for residents, and 100 for bicycles. Furthermore, the council promises increased pedestrian circulation and a “renewal of the arboreal elements that form the green landscape of this city avenue,” with 118 trees on the avenue and “30 new autochthonous species.”
“Introducing more than 30 indigenous species into the green spaces of this urban axis is fundamental. These plants, adapted to our climate and soil, require fewer water resources and are more resistant to pests and diseases. Moreover, they promote local biodiversity and reinforce the landscape identity of our city. By choosing these species, we are creating a more sustainable and resilient environment for future generations,” explains the Lisbon City Council, justifying the transplantation of over two dozen jacaranda trees.
The project, already underway, will unfold in six phases and is expected to be completed by 2027.
Currently, it is in the first phase, involving the “construction of a new sanitation collector and the installation and reinforcement of existing telecommunications networks.” The next phase will include the “partial extension of the new sanitation collector construction through the western axis of Avenida 5 de Outubro.”
The Lisbon City Council delayed the public clarification session regarding the Entrecampos project, which involves the removal of jacarandas. Given the high number of participants interested, a single session will be held on Wednesday at 6:30 PM at Forum Lisboa on Avenida de Roma.
In a recent note, the council mentioned that it commenced planting new jacaranda trees on Friday along Avenida 5 de Outubro and surrounding areas, with ten new jacaranda trees planted on that day and five more on Saturday.
Opposing this process, the petition “No to the removal of jacaranda trees from Av. 5 de Outubro”, created on March 21 – Tree Day, has gathered over 53,779 signatures as of Monday night.
