Robbery of the Algarve waterfront
If you happen to be the owner of waterfront locations considered to be ‘hydric land’ in the public domain, then you’ll be thankful to know that you have until January 1 of 2014 to prove in a court that your property has been in private hands for at least 150 years, otherwise you face seeing it integrated into state property.
This controversial ruling – which stems from a law from 2005 – has been widely contested by many political groups for being ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘inaccessible’ to the majority of people who might find themselves under its scope.
‘Hydric land’ refers to properties on land located within fifty metres from the sea or clifftop edge and within thirty meters in the case of a riverbank.
The thing is that most people have no inkling of the existence of this ancient law which originally dates back to 1864 and many political groups have contested the complexity of such a process, especially when owners are given such a short timeframe, not to mention the bureaucratic and legal costs involved as well as the mandatory hiring of a lawyer to present a court case, it is in one word, preposterous.
There are rumors that the government is considering extending this deadline but so far the date remains unaltered and property owners affected by the law must move swiftly in order to ensure that they meet the January 1 deadline.
Lawyers have admitted that the legal process involved with this law is quite complex, time-consuming and of course, costly.
It’s interesting how despite the seemingly unworkable stipulations of this ancient law, there are no plans to abolish or revoke it in any way, not even to offer an extension of the deadline, it boggles the mind.
The possible result and repercussions of enacting this law are yet to be fully understood, we just have to wait and see what, if anything, happens till the end of this year.
