Funchal municipal councillors Luís Filipe Santos and Jorge Afonso Freitas have called for urgent work at the popular Pico dos Barcelos Viewpoint and its surrounding gardens, describing the attraction’s current condition as “unworthy of one of the city’s most important landmarks.”
In a statement, the councillors said they had received complaints from residents, supported by photographs, concerning a lack of cleaning and maintenance at the site.
They believe the Regional Government, which they say is responsible for the area, should ensure that the viewpoint is cleaned, maintained and restored to an acceptable condition.
“Pico dos Barcelos is one of Funchal’s calling cards. We cannot accept that a viewpoint of such tourist, scenic and urban importance is allowed to remain in this condition,” they said.
Although the attraction is not directly managed by the Funchal City Council, the two councillors believe the municipality should formally demand that the Regional Government take action. If there is no response, they say the council should consider intervening through the available legal mechanisms and subsequently seek to recover the costs from the authority responsible for the site.
“It is unacceptable for residents and visitors to be confronted with a deteriorating public space while public authorities debate who should carry out the work,” they added.
The councillors also called for a regular maintenance programme at Pico dos Barcelos, rather than isolated interventions only when conditions become unacceptable.
Their proposals include demanding immediate action, requesting information about the current maintenance arrangements and contracted services, and establishing a deadline for the necessary work to be completed.
Should the Regional Government fail to intervene, Luís Filipe Santos and Jorge Afonso Freitas want the council to examine the legal provisions allowing the municipality to undertake the work itself and, where legally possible, recover the associated costs from the responsible authority.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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