“It is up to the municipal councils to grant concessions and publicize the beach plan, both through signage and – and I strongly advise this – through a diagram at the beach entrance: ‘look, this space is a concession, this space is a safety zone, everything else is free’,” stated Maria da Graça Carvalho during a visit to Fuseta-mar Beach in Olhão, in the Faro district.

Existence of signage

When questioned by journalists about the existence of signage that still directs bathers to non-concession areas of the beach, the Minister said that, in such cases, the signage needs to be reviewed to ensure the correct information is displayed and there are no doubts for bathers.

“Mayors have to check and, if they find that the signage is not correct, correct it, but it is not a systematic thing. The law has not changed, and I am convinced that most of the signage is good and complies with the law, because the last rule clarifying this is from 2012, 14 years ago,” she stressed.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to the ongoing emergency sediment reinforcement intervention on that beach in the Faro district, Maria da Graça Carvalho reiterated that, as it is not a legal obligation, it helps a lot to have a simple diagram at the entrance of each beach explaining how it is organised.

Safety rules

Recalling that safety rules are defined by the municipalities in conjunction with the maritime authorities, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Action noted that the organisation of the sand can and should take into account the morphological characteristics of each beach.

“For example, a very large beach like Monte Gordo will be different from a small beach like some in Lagos or Armação de Pêra,” he illustrated, noting that, as long as the rule that concessions cannot exceed 30% of the usable beach area, nor 50% of the shoreline, is respected, the organisation can vary.

“Safety measures can include zones around the concessions, around the beach entrances—which are always public—in front of the lifeguards and rescue boats, and along the sea. These are safety zones. The concessions can be narrower and closer to the sea, or they can be wider and further back,” he exemplified.

Authorities clarification

This week, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) issued a technical clarification regarding the occupation of non-concessioned areas on beaches, stating that beachgoers may place parasols in front of beach concessions, which are privately owned areas that cannot occupy more than 30% of the usable beach area or 50% of the shoreline.

In the clarification, the APA reinforces that “in Portugal, beaches are public spaces with free access” and states that the Coastal Zone Management Plans (POOC) and the Maritime Beach Management Regulations in force establish limits for the occupation of beaches by beach support facilities.

Thus, “areas not covered by a license or concession remain available for public use and can be freely used by users, especially for placing beach parasols, windbreaks, or other private bathing equipment,” adds the APA.