The Caniço Parish Council is determined to find a solution to revitalize access to Canavieira Beach and guarantees that it is analyzing all possibilities, in order to understand whether it is possible to restore security to the area.
Milton Teixeira’s position, published on his social networks, comes after a complaint from a Facebook group called ‘Cana Vieira uma Praia da Madeira’ which, as reported this morning by JM, is outraged by what it considers to be the appropriation of Vereda da Praia da Canavieira by a private individual, of German nationality. The group, which already has almost a thousand members, is calling for swift intervention by the competent authorities to halt and demolish the ongoing works on the site and is calling for the reopening of this, the only access to the beach.
The Parish Council President begins by recalling that access to the site was closed in 2018, more precisely on July 27, 2018, following an inspection of safety conditions carried out by the Caniço Parish Council and the Municipal Civil Protection.
“During this visit, the lack of safety at the access point was clear, putting everyone who passed by on their way to the beach at risk. Safety structures (including balconies) have been abandoned for several years and no longer have the ability to support their bases, slippery ground, falling rocks and several large cracks that, according to civil protection experts, could cause larger rocks to fall, with all the safety risks that this could entail. Access has been abandoned for years”, stresses the mayor.
In addition to the situation listed, Milton Teixeira also recalls the various episodes that occurred at the site, particularly with regard to illegal activities that even led to the intervention of criminal police bodies.
The mayor also points out that, in July 2021, after the pandemic, the Parish Council sent a team to clean this access for 15 days, having requested a new assessment from the Municipal Civil Protection. “The inspection was carried out jointly and, if in 2018 the conditions were not right, in 2021 it was worse. The cracks had bigger cracks”, he pointed out.
“Was it hard to take part in this decision? YES! It was one of my childhood beaches and it left me with so many memories. But for the reasons described above, I would rather be penalised for an unpopular decision than live with the knowledge that someone could get seriously hurt there, or, even worse, lose their life!” he stated.
“Could there be works to improve access? Of course!” he admitted, explaining that, at this moment, the Board is checking all the possibilities, including with the specialized intervention of the Regional Government’s cliff face workers, to verify if they can get the minimum services essential to restore safety.
Taking into account that this is part of the Maritime Public Domain, the Board, as already mentioned, guarantees that it is “making every possible effort, with various entities, to try to find a solution to revitalize access to this beach, without jeopardising the budgetary stability” of the Board.