The document was, for the second time, in public consultation between May 22 and July 4, 2023, and has been under analysis since that date, according to the information provided by the participa.pt portal.

When questioned about the delay in publishing the corrected and final version of the regulation, nine months after the end of the public consultation period, the APA explains that this procedure resulted in a "total of four hundred contributions, which had to be analysed and individually considered".

This work, continues the entity responsible for the revision of this document, "is practically concluded, so its publication is expected very soon".

The numbers released by the APA are, however, different from those revealed on July 27 last year by the Ministry of the Environment, which reported 82 participations received for the Regulation for the Management of Maritime Beaches between Caminha-Espinho, after the calculation of contributions sent by mail.

At the time, in response to Lusa, the guardianship also stated that the observations/suggestions received were being analysed by the APA, which would later release the results of the consultation, compiled in a weighting report to be released on the PARTICIPA portal.

So far, the discrepancy in numbers has not yet been explained by the APA, which has also not specified the date of publication of the final version of the document.

The regulation for maritime beaches between Caminha and Espinho had already been the subject of a period of public participation, simultaneously with the Caminha-Espinho Coastal Strip Programme (POC-CE), however, there were inconsistencies between the beach management rules and the provisions of the management regulation, so a new consultation was launched on May 22.

The corrected version of the document excludes concessions or licenses in the 46 Critical Areas identified in the POC-CE, admitting only removable constructions on the sand.

In this document, the APA maintains the intention to demolish, among others, the Transparent Building whose extension of the concession, for one year, was approved by the Porto City Council, at the executive meeting, on Monday, given that the POC-CE, which foresees its demolition by 2028, is still under review.

The building, designed by the Catalan architect Solà-Morales and built within the scope of Porto 2001 -- European Capital of Culture, was granted a concession in June 2004 for a period of 20 years, which ended on June 27.

"To our great surprise, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) still does not define what the future of the building will be", said the mayor, the independent Rui Moreira, during the discussion of this proposal, which was approved unanimously.

Saying he did not know what would happen to the building, whether it would be destroyed or not, the mayor considered that, given the uncertainty, it was better to extend the contract so that it would not be abandoned.

"There are a number of unknowns about the transparent building and, therefore, we cannot leave it abandoned", he stressed.

The POC-CE, which came into force in August 2021 and which identifies 46 critical areas, determines the planned retreat of dozens of housing units, as well as the demolition of several buildings, houses and restaurants, located on the coast between Caminha and Espinho.

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