Urban Development Zoning Plan for the Herdade do Corte Velho, Castro Marim, Algarve

The ‘Herdade do Corte Velho’ is a property with 100 hectares, and is located east of the village of Azinhal, near the Guadiana River, along with the Spanish border. It is a unique site with a beautiful landscape and natural features, compatible with a low density and high-quality tourist resort.

A recent field survey of the forest areas (povoamentos) of the holm oak trees, has clearly shown that the Plano de Urbanização da Herdade do Corte Velho (published in 2008) would not be compatible with the identified areas of protected trees. Based upon this information, a review of the original plan had to be made, in order to redesign the urban areas and to abandon the initial golf course option.

The new spatial model respects all the legal constraints, namely the ones which refer to the protected areas (holm trees). The reviewed plan did not change the global development values, including the gross built-up area, the urban area, the number of units and the number of beds.

The review of the plan also allowed to improve the concept of the land use, as the golf course was abandoned and was no longer the driving theme of the resort, as it is now focused upon its ecological values. The current land use is clearly focused on combining the preservation of natural values, and minimizing the environmental impacts, as the land use design is now more organic.

The plan encompasses the preservation of natural values and the existing views, with a low-density urban area limited to only 35 hectares of developable land and a gross construction area total under 100.000 m2), all this organized in clusters and using the natural landscape potential of the existing (and protected) holm oaks, near the river bank of the Guadiana River and surrounded by its agricultural areas.

The urban land use programme includes 3 small and medium size hotels, and residential areas, which include townhouses and detached houses, one Spa and autonomous touristic facilities. It also may include an 18 hole golf course.

This Plan was developed under the transitional regime from the Algarve Regional Plan (1991) to the present Regional Plan, enforced in 2006.