According to newspaper Correio da Manha, the council would like to convert the historic building into a guest house or boutique hotel.
Monchique Mayor, Rui André, told the newspaper negotiations have been ongoing for a while, but have been made more difficult by the fact the property is divided into
several plots each with different owners.
Given these circumstances, the newspaper reports, the local authority said it will “move forward with the expropriation or administrative possession” of the convent.
“Hence, and complying with all legal procedures, we will be able to proceed to an intervention on the building”, said Rui André, adding that the goal is “to create a Pousadas de Portugal guesthouse or a boutique hotel there.”
The council is aiming to “consolidate the ruin” during a first phase, “to avoid further degradation, but keeping the monument open to visitors.”
This would be followed by a phase of “contacts with potential investors, namely in the hotel and catering sector.”
Rui André told the newspaper that there is already “a project to create a hotel there”, which “would not only allow the recovery of the property but also increase the hotel capacity of the county, which has grown in recent years.”