Chamber takes over construction of market after two years of demolition of the Coutinho building

According to the local mayor, Luís Nobre (PS), the municipality’s responsibility for the construction was decided when the accounts were closed and the management company of the Polis de Viana do Castelo program was closed last month. The work is expected to cost around 10 million euros.

In addition to this information provided this Tuesday, at the executive’s fortnightly meeting, Luís Nobre also said that a former resident took legal action asking for a “reversal” of the demolition of his apartment.

“From the moment that in March of this year, in the dissolution [da VianaPolis], the municipality was responsible for promoting the construction of the market, that is what we are working on and we will do it as quickly as possible”, declared Luís Nobre, to journalists, at the end of the meeting, where he noted that, in the month In the past, “the closing general meeting of VianaPolis took place and it was clarified what, in effect, all the responsibilities were and what was left with whom. And it was written, assumed in a deliberation in March 2024, that the municipality would be the one to promote this initiative (construction of the market)”.

“With this deliberation, now, finally, we have – there was an assumption but it was not written, by those who advanced -, by decision of shareholders, the commitment that the chamber will build the market”. He also indicated that the municipality is “preparing all the pieces to open a new procedure (public tender) with everything clarified”.

The mayor added, moreover, that there is a new dispute promoted by a former owner who “lived there (in the Coutinho building) and who decided to take action to reverse the space that was his apartment, for something that does not exist”. And he commented: “Which is always questionable but we have to respect it.”

During the executive meeting, socialist Luís Nobre was confronted by the independent councilor, Eduardo Teixeira (former PSD), about the fact that the municipality had assumed “a liability of five million euros” from the former society.

“There is a sharing of heritage and a lot was created in our city. Polis allowed more than 110 million in investment in the requalification and construction of new equipment”, explained the mayor, indicating as examples of heritage assets “the Library buildings, the Culture Center, requalification of the riverfront, rehabilitation of the historic center and City’s park”.

“In closing [da VianaPolis] Assets were shared as well as the costs that the company had assumed over time, namely loans”, he concluded.

The construction of the new Viana do Castelo municipal market and surrounding arrangements, in the space of the former Jardim Building (commonly known as the Coutinho building), has an overall budget estimate of around 10.7 million euros.

According to information made public by the municipality, the project in question envisages a market with two floors, 28 stores, 56 sales stalls inside and outdoor space for local producers. And there is also a parking lot with a tunnel connection to another parking space nearby.

The construction of the market in the place of the Coutinho building, in the heart of the historic center of Viana do Castelo, is planned and constituted justification, as part of the demolition process that dragged on over 22 years and was finally carried out last year by the society Polis (Viana Polis).

The demolition of the Coutinho building, with 13 floors, was announced in June 2000, under the Polis program, but was postponed due to successive court cases, presented by residents. It was completed in the summer of 2022 (with symbolic work starting in December 2021).