Ana Rodrigues de Almeida clarifies the rules applicable to Luís Neves’ swimming pool

Ana Rodrigues de Almeida was interviewed by Expresso about the construction of a swimming pool on a property belonging to the Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, allegedly located within both the National Agricultural Reserve (RAN) and the National Ecological Reserve (REN). “It is quite unusual for land to be classified as both RAN and REN, but if that is indeed the case, both protection regimes must apply,” she explains.

Under the rules of the Municipality of Odemira, “agricultural areas” — which are automatically included in the RAN — “are primarily intended for the production of food through arable, pasture, horticultural and fruit-growing systems”. In these areas, “all actions that reduce or destroy their potential are prohibited, including hydraulic works, roads and access routes, the construction of buildings, landfilling and excavation, or any other forms of non-agricultural use”.

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