The purchase of the land "was being negotiated for several years with the Institute of Financial Management of Social Security and finally an agreement was reached that allows the purchase to go ahead", told the Lusa agency. Mayor of Nazaré, Walter Chicharro.

The executive of the village of Leiria district approved, on Monday, the submission of the proposal for the acquisition of “Land Sobrante – Neighborhood of Fishermen of Nazaré” to the Municipal Assembly (AM) “for authorisation of the purchase and multi-year commitments”, explained the mayor.

The proposal specifies that the acquisition of the land, where the weekly fair is currently held, represents an investment of 1,412,000 euros, payment of which must be made in 120 installments over a 10-year period.

Located next to Bairro dos Pescadores, close to Avenida Vieira Guimarães, where the Town Hall are located, the land has an available area of ​​13,257.50 square meters and will be used for the construction of a car park with around a thousand spaces.

“The initial project called for the construction of four floors of parking above ground, but to reduce the impact, it is being reformulated, with two floors underground and two above ground,” said Walter Chicharro.

“This is an investment that addresses parking problems, not only for tourists, but above all for the local population”, underlined the mayor.

Approval of the acquisition awaited authorization from the IGFSS Board of Directors for the sale of the land, also authorized by the Prime Minister, António Costa, after the municipality “has proved that the option for parking does not jeopardize the national strategy of housing”, added the president, recalling that Nazaré approved the Local Housing Strategy about two years ago, in which “the land destined for housing at controlled prices are identified”.

The future car park, whose investment is not yet quantified, is part of the mobility project in urban areas, and should contribute to promoting "the improvement of sustainable and alternative transport systems, as well as the improvement of people's quality of life", he says. The proposal will be sent to AM.