The disputed project of the Swedish furniture shop to build a huge retail centre between Faro and Loulé recently made some progress. Despite of the ongoing protest of the regional retail sector the clean-up of the area near the Algarve stadium, situated in the triangle between the A22 motorway and the access road to Loulé (EN125-4) has started in January 2015. At the same time the roundabout connecting the EN125-4 to the future retail park has been inaugurated.
Nevertheless the project continues to face setbacks, this time from Faro opposition councillors (PS and PCP) who do not want to see a “gigantic” shopping development that is three and a half time the size of the Forum Algarve in Faro. They overruled the ruling right-wing PSD/CDS-PP coalition and thus rejected the construction of an access road in Faro. According to Faro mayor Rogério Bacalhau, who is in favour of the project, this decision will not question the project as a whole.
The retail centre will include an IKEA shop of about 21.000 sq m, a covered shopping mall of another 65.000 sq m with 95 shops and an open space shopping area for additional 125 shops.