Court rules in favour of Amorim Luxury and Vanguard Properties in Comporta

The Setúbal District Court has accepted the injunction aimed at restoring access to the road blocked by the ‘Casas da Encosta’ condominium, ruling in favour of the companies of the Amorim Luxury group, which owns the JNcQUOI Club Comporta, and Vanguard Properties, according to information to which ECO has had access. This blockage, according to the court, generates a direct monthly loss of around 500,000 euros in financial and operational costs alone, due to the obstruction of access.

The court therefore orders the immediate removal of the gates and all other obstacles placed on the road that crosses the L7 allotment and ensures the connection between the public road and the NDTC (Núcleo de Desenvolvimento Turístico do Carvalhal). The ruling recognises that the blocking of the road violated legally constituted rights of way, compromising the free movement of people and vehicles.

This road is considered structural for the operation and development of the hotel, tourist and residential investment that has been carried out by Amorim Luxury and Vanguard Properties.

As well as recognising the existence of a public right of way, the court also recognises that the obstruction of the road has caused damage to Vanguard Properties and Amorim Luxury and a direct monthly loss of €509,704.65 in financial and operational costs alone, due to the obstruction of access.

The court decision also prohibits the defendants from adopting new measures that limit, obstruct or hinder the use of the road in question.

The process in question began in 2020 with two gates (one for entry and one for exit) installed in Alameda dos Pinheiros and crossing the ‘Casas da Encosta’ condominium, which the Amorim Luxury and Vanguard Properties groups say is one of the three easements planned to reach Praia do Pego, as Sábado magazine reported in April.

Pierre Lavail, owner of ‘Casas da Encosta’, said that the easement was not provided for in the licence and feared flooding. “All of our privacy and our slow way of life would be threatened if we had to allow at least a thousand cars to pass through every day”, he told the magazine, adding that he had tried to reach an agreement with the two groups so that passage would only be on foot, by bicycle or in electric vehicles. Without success.

In 2023, Grândola’s town council also demanded that the gates be removed. “We were very surprised that Grândola Town Hall had stepped into a private matter”, criticised Pierre Lavail, quoted by Sábado. The council threatened to take administrative possession of the land in order to enforce the order and warned the owners that they would incur a criminal offence of disobedience if the order was not respected.

The Amorim Luxury and Vanguard Properties groups acquired Herdade da Comporta in 2019 and are currently two of the main investors in the region. Amorim is developing the JNcQUOI Club Comporta project, while Dunas Terras da Comporta is the name of Vanguard’s project, owned by Frenchman Claude Berda.