In a statement on its website the theatre group explained: “The President of the Junta de Freguesia of Campo de Ourique, Pedro Cegonho, proposed to the Assembleia Municipal de Lisboa that they should recommend to the Câmara Municipal (CML) to consider buying the Estrela Site; this was accepted unanimously.”
According to the minutes from the Municipal Assembly the group was recently informed “about the imminent sale” of the site to which the Estrela Hall belongs, to a private buyer.
The Hall is located in the Estrela neighbourhood of Lisbon and is one of five neighbouring properties that have strong ties to the local foreign community’s history: the Estrela Hall, and buildings that were once the British Hospital, the Parsonage, the Royal British Club and the Jewish Cemetery.
Estrela Hall was built in 1906 and was converted into a 99-seat theatre with the establishment of the Lisbon Players, which was founded in 1947 and is said to be the oldest theatre company in Lisbon.
“Lisbon Players have always maintained our wish to continue providing English speaking theatre in Estrela Hall”, their statement continues, elaborating: “This is not only for the British community who we have served for many decades, but also the growing public of English speakers of many origins in Lisbon, not least the Portuguese.
“We are now optimistic that the people of Lisbon, through their elected representatives, are seeking a solution that all involved can benefit from, be they theatre-goers, patients who might use the British Hospital, others with a historical link to the ‘Estrela Site’ or people who care about Lisbon’s rich history.”
Reports of a deal being made on the block of buildings, which is currently in the ownership of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), have been emerging since 2013.
The British Government has been the nominal owner of the Estrela site since 1944 but it has not been involved in its administration.
In late 2010 the Portuguese courts ruled that the British Government - as nominal holder of the title - had ownership of the whole Estrela estate and therefore had the right to sell it.
In a statement sent to The Portugal News, the British Embassy in Lisbon explained that the British Government has been trying to sell the Estrela site “for a long time”.
The Embassy’s statement clarified: “The FCO holds the legal title to this property at the request of the original owners (collectively the majority of The Stakeholders) and it was The Stakeholders who asked that the FCO organise the sale of the property, so that their collective interests could be crystallised. In addition, the decision to sell this property is in line with the FCO’s strategy to divest itself of responsibility for non-core property – i.e. not directly related to our diplomatic activity.”
The Embassy confirmed “a promissory contract for the sale of this property is due to be signed shortly” though “for reasons of commercial confidentiality, it is not appropriate for the Embassy to disclose information about the buyer of the value of the sale.”
It did stress however that “the British Government will not benefit from the sale beyond recovering costs incurred.
“The Lisbon Players were given time to find an alternative location and assurance that they would receive 2.8 percent of net proceeds”, the statement said.
The Embassy further added “We can confirm that specific provisions have been made in the contract to protect the Jewish Cemetery, both above and below ground. The right to visit the cemetery by the respective families has also been protected. These provisions have been agreed with the Jewish Community in Lisbon.”