Meeting with Vereador Fernando Viegas, Tavira Câmara.

Members of the residents committee met with Sr. Fernando Viegas, Vereador das Infrastruturas and Sra. Carla Taveira, Directora do Departmento de Ambiente, Transito e Equipamentos for Tavira Câmara on Tuesday morning.

On the agenda were the high tension power lines and wind turbines planned for Sta Catarina Freguesia, which as was explained in the meeting, were a cause for concern for many living in the area. Various points were discussed, in particular the proximity of the planned structures to habitations and ruins, and also the lack of communication with the community to date.

The representatives of the Câmara stated that they will arrange a meeting with REN to answer any of the questions and concerns residents may have with regards to the project. We will inform everyone of the date for this once confirmed.

Minutes of the meeting will be posted on this site tomorrow.

Click on this, print it off, and stick it on any ruin that you think will lose value as a result of REN's high-tension cables. We need to improve communications, especially to Portuguese owners of ruins who are conserving them to leave as an inheritance to their children and grandchildren. The Junta and Câmera are making no effort to inform them what is happening, so please, try to help by making them aware.

PROTESTAR POR FALTA DE ESCUTAR!

No real news to report, but many people have been very busy preparing for the meeting with the Tavira Councilor tomorrow (Tuesday), the trip to Lisbon on Wednesday, and the Residents meeting on Thursday.

A bus is being arranged to go to the Portuguese Assembly Building in Lisbon on Wednesday, to coincide with the planned meeting between the "Movimento Contra as Linhas de Alta Tensã" and the Government.

Notices advertising the next residents information meeting have been disseminated throughout the valley from Porto Carvalhoso to Alcaria Fria, when feedback wil be provided about the meetings with Tavira Council and the Government.

This is the most important week yet for the campaign, and it is important that we involve as many people as possible who are going to be impacted by these developments. Spread the word.

The little number in the right-hand corner is counting how many times people look at our web-site.

Sticker for Houses/Ruins Suffering Devaluation Due to Presence of Wind Turbines

Double click, print out, and stick on any properties which you think will suffer a depreciation as a result of the installation of the planned wind farm.

Local and Parliamentary meetings.

Dear Residents,

Public information session – Bar Flavianos
Following last weeks meeting at Flavianos bar, Porto Carvalhoso it was agreed that we need to have the involvement of more Portuguese residents, who to date may still be unaware of what is planned for the area.

It was agreed that more flyers should be printed, outlining the situation and informing everyone about the next meeting planned for Thursday 26th March 19.00-21.00 hrs, at Flavianos bar. This will be to update all involved on the weeks developments and to decide on a date for a public protest in Lisbon.

Later today we will be posting flyers onto the blogsite at http://matanews.blogspot.com. Can you please print these out and distribute them wherever you can. In particular we need to contact those in Sta. Catarina and also residents in the small villages along routes 3A and 4, as far north as Alcaria do Cume. It is vital that we get as many out as possible before Thursday so we can extend the discussion to involve everyone affected.

Meeting with Tavira Câmara.
Keith and Toby are meeting with Fernando Viegas, Vereador of Tavira Câmara, on Tuesday to discuss the planned high tension lines and wind turbines. They will report back afterwards.

Public Session in Parliament.
Robin has spoken again with Sra. Helena Carmo of the Movimento Contra as Linhas de Alta Tensão em Zonas Habitadas. She met with representatives from the Government in Lisbon on Friday and will be meeting with them again this coming Wednesday 25th at 3pm, to debate further the laws governing proximity of power lines to habitations.

This session will be open to the public, who will be able to attend on the public gallery. Sra. Carmo is very keen for us to be there in numbers, as ours is the latest case to come to light, and she has said that she will be able to arrange press and media to be there to interview us.

For this reason we’re asking everyone that’s willing and able, to join us in attending this meeting as a show of solidarity. This will be a fantastic opportunity to bring our case to public attention and to inform them of our case and the lack of communication and respect we have received from the authorities involved.

If you’re able to support the community in this way, on Wednesday in Lisbon, can you please email us at matanews@gmail.com or leave a message on 967533144. Please state how many people would be interested in coming and a contact telephone number.
We will be looking at organising a coach to attend the meeting and will contact you directly by phone at the start of next week to inform you of progress.

Thank you again for all you hard work and attention, and we hope to see you in Lisbon!

The Residents Commission.

Residents Committee Minutes 18 March 2009

There were over 40 people at Casa Brito in Porto Carvalhoso at 7.30 pm when the meeting commenced – a mix of Portuguese and non-Portuguese who were threatened with a devaluation of their properties, and possible but unproven health risks as a result of government-backed REN proposal to site high-tension cables close to, and even over, their homes.

The meeting opened with a presentation in Portuguese and English of the REN proposal, using maps to show exactly where the cables would be sited. This was the first time many people had been told exactly where the cables would be. It was then explained that the government had chosen to completely ignore the residents public petition with 853 signatures, 165 individual formal environmental objections and even the submission made by Sta. Catarina Junta. There was not even an acknowledgment in the official “public consultation “report, and the reason why the government had decided to back the lines had not been disclosed to residents. The report did state that the chosen route affected the least people, when census data backed by the president of the local Junta showed this to be untrue. It was however the shortest and the cheapest route. The public consultation had been a sham, and the lack of communication by Sta. Catarina Junta, Tavira Câmera and the Government had been shameful.

There followed a lively discussion about what should be the next steps. Despite the belated invitation to a meeting with a Tavira Councilor next week, it was decided to press on with arrangements for protests in Lisbon, with the support of other, national protest groups. Some of the Portuguese residents in attendance said that many local Portuguese home-owners were still in the dark about REN’s proposals and the government’s decision and it was therefore decided that a 2nd information meeting should be planned for next week.

Plans for a wind-farm close to houses in Água de Tábuas were not as advanced as the plans for the high tension cables and it was decided to leave discussion to another occasion. Background briefing documents about the accelerating and unregulated growth in wind-farm installations in Portugal in general, and the Algarve in particular, were distributed to those directly affected.

Residents Committee Meeting 18th March 2009

The residents committee meeting was well attended. The presentation and discussions took place in both Portuguese and English. For many, it was the first time they has seen the plans for the High Tension cables, and they were very angry that the Junta and Tavira Câmera had not kept them informed, and that the Government had totally ignored the petitions they had delivered last year. An action plan was agreed and the next meeting scheduled. Full report to follow.

Translator required for this evenings session.

Unfortunately both of our translators for this evenings information session at Flavianos have had to cancel.
If anyone knows of a fluent English/Portuguese speaker who may be willing to help us for a couple of hours this evening, 7-9pm, please contact us on 967937497 asap!

PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION - SESSÃO DE INFORMAÇÃO PÚBLICA

Posters for the public information session on Wednesday. Please feel free to print out and post in/up/on wherever you can.
Click on image for a full-size printable version.

Água de Tábuas Proposed Wind Farm Map

A map showing the proposed locations of the 3 (initial?) wind turbines. Click on it to get a bigger version for printing.

Spread the word - some of the locals do not believe there is such a plan and argue that the existing wind measurement tower is a communications antenna.

Eco-blog appeal.

Today we have contacted a number of ecological blog-sites with an appeal for help, particuarly relating to contacts, translation, ideas and also physical bodies for our protest in Lisbon. We await their replies .....
If anyone knows of any ecological groups that may be particuarly interested, please contact us asap!

Declaration of intent - versão Português

PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION

As part of informing the residents of this area, we have decided to hold a public information session, where we'll present all of the information that we have to date on the high tension power lines and the wind turbines. This will be held at Flavianos bar, Porto Carvalhoso, on Wednesday 18th March from 7 - 9pm. Please feel free to come along and check on developments to date.
We are hoping to raise awareness of the plans for this area, and to answer any questions people may have regarding the process and procedure of these large infrastructure projects. We will be answering questions in Portuguese and English, so please inform any friends/neighbours that are unaware of the issues so far and may have concerns.

Cloud Factory

Portugal News 14 March 2009

Page 4 "High tension Rears its ugly head again"

"One of the eastern Algarve's most idyllic rural retreats, a mountainous range eight kilometres north of Sta. Catarina de Fonte do Bispo (Tavira) which is affectionately known to the locals as the "cloud factory" and comprises a cluster of unspoilt villages, is under threat of being invaded by two large-scale energy projects that are causing residents to unite in uproar, and who are promising to go to all lengths at their disposal to ensure the projects do not follow the proposed route."

A half-page report with quotes from TJ.

New Road Signs

Strange signs appeared along the road overnight. They don't improve the look of the place, but, worse things could happen...

ALTERNATIVE WIND FARM SITE PROPOSALS

A second proposal has been put to Cavalum for their proposed wind-farm. It is about 5km to the west. It again appears to meet all their criteria, but isn't near any houses. The consulant has rang to acknowledge receipt but so far has not had time to study them. He has jokingly suggested that with our help perhaps he will be able to install 3 wind farms!

Wind Farm Planning Process

Legal advice is being sought about the licensing process for wind measurement masts and the planning process for any subsequent wind-farm. We're also trying to find out how we can be kept better informed about matters debated at Tâvira Camera and Sta. Catarina Junta. Finally, we've asked for details of the process for getting permission to cut-down oak trees to make way for developments such as wind-farms.

Declaration of intent!

A copy of the letter sent to the relevant Governmental and Corporate bodies, stating our position and making it clear that we are aware and active!

High-tension attention.

Contact with the press continues today. We've had interest from The Portugal News and Get Real, who both hope to follow the story as it unfolds. The latter part of this week, and throughout next week, we'll be making contact with Portuguese press and television. We need to keep feeding information through as our story develops so if anyone has an angle that they think would be good then let us know.

Any ideas for a photoshoot? Toby has finished making a wooden pylon as a prop for a photograph which combined with a few of our signs and us as a group would be good to send on to the papers. Would anyone be up for doing an "angry residents" groupshot tomorrow?(Thursday)

Posters. As we speak, Brian is busy cutting up boards for our posters which we hope to start putting up at the end of this week and over the weekend. We need to spread the word and get as many people as possible involved in this action. Once again, speak to any neighbours/friends/relations/dogs/cats that would be interested in putting one up on our behalf. We could also do with a hand sticking posters onto boards and varnishing them so they're waterproofed....

Movimento Contra as Linhas de Alta Tensão em Zonas Habitadas. Yesterday we had a call from Helena Carmo of the national pressure group campaigning for a change in the law on placement (which is currently a minimum of 50m from any habitation) and legislation of high tension power lines. We'll be sending her details of our objections to date and a summary of the correspondence (or lack of!) that we've had with the relevant bodies. Her organisation is meeting with Ren and Government representatives on the 29th of this month to discuss further the potential changes in the law; she said she would be happy to raise our case at this meeting.

Public meeting. Mimi has spoken with Flaviano, who is happy for us to hold a public meeting at his bar (and said that we could place posters and any additional info there ....it looks like this will be the best place for a drop-in info point as it's local and everyone knows it). At present it looks like the best time for a public meeting will be the middle of next week. TBC.

Protest in Lisbon. The provisional date for this was the 23rd of this month, I wonder whether it wouldn't be best to move to the following Monday (30th of this month), in order to be sure of a large number of bodies? Ideas?

VAMOS PROTESTAR Flyer

Anyone requiring more of these flyers just needs to provide an email address and it will be emailed to you. Alternatively, you click on this one to get a bigger one and copy and paste it into your own document.

Wind Measurement Mast work

More work 80m up on the wind measurement mast at Água de Tábuas this afternoon. Looks like only now are the wind measurement sensors being installed. So - they missed the strong winds at the end of last week then...

ALTERNATIVE WIND TURBINE SITE

The Life of Brian: I see no windmills! Looking for potential sites for new windmills from previous sites for old windmills!

After a spot of off-road motorbiking earlier today, we emailed Sn. Gonçalves, the wind turbine consultant with the coordinates for an alternative site for the wind turbines, which appears to meet all of his criteria but crucially, is over 1km distance from any house or ruin.

We've also asked for more details about his preferred site at Alportel, including the number of trees which would have to be cut-down.

Media Briefing

A media brief has been developed, containing an explanation of the issues, photographs and quotes from residents. Distribution to the press begins today. Anyone who would like to be quoted should respond to this blog or email one of the secretaries.

Mtgs with Wind Turbine Expert and Local Council

Meeting with wind turbine expert was very informative. Basically, they have followed all the rules and he believes this is the only suitable place to install turbines in Tavira district given the constraints he has to work with. The limiting factor in placing them near houses is noise - he reckons he could go as close as 100m with the existing legislation. He needs to be close to a power line running to the Tavira substation, up around 500m with a clear , uninterrupted sweep to the sea, preferebaly with "land contracts" in place, and without the presence of cork trees which are protected in law. The installation won't go-ahead a) if the wind measurements are not good enough (too light, too strong or too turbulent) or b) if REN stipulate he is too close to their planned HT lines. He said that if we can find him another mountain which meet the criteria he would be more than happy to consider it.

Meeting with Sta. Catarina Junta was disappointing. Many people turned up but only 1 plus an interpreter was allowed in (even the wind turbine project consultant was excluded!). Perhaps the most interesting point to come out of the meeting was that the President agreed that the selected route for the cables - route 3a - has a bigger population than the rejected route, contrary to that stated in the government report. It is not clear if and when a public meeting can be organised with experts in attendance, and if and when he can facilitate a meeting with Tavira Câmera.

Wind Turbine Consultant Mtg.

Sn. Gonçalves aims to be in Água de Tábuas at 14:30 today.

IN LOCO

Toby and Nina met with the In Loco people today (http://www.in-loco.pt/). They sponsor heritage type developments away from the coast in the Algarve and are obviously interested in what Toby & Nina have in mind for Aporfiosa. They were disappointed to hear about REN's decision to press on with the HT cables, threatening their development, and have contacted the President of Tavira on our behalf to try to arrange a meeting with him next week.

Toby is also emailing all the people who were involved in the campaign last year to invite them to a meeting at the Casa de Povo in Sta. Catarina next week (date and time to be fixed).

Meeting with Wind Turbine Consultant

Sn. Gonçalves, the wind turbine consultant from Cavalum working on the project, will be in Água de Tábuas on Friday "at lunchtime" to meet with residents and answer any questions. Meeting at Keith & Denise's house.

He will also come long to the meeting with the president of Sta. Catarina council.

REPORT OF RESIDENTS COMMITTEE MEETING 3RD MARCH 2009

The meeting was held as planned on 3rd March. Reports were received about the conversation with Sn. Gonçalves, the wind generator consultant and the meeting with another HT cable action group. Media briefing material was discussed, and the forthcoming meeting with the President of Sta. Catarina council

The priority would now be the HT cables rather than the wind turbines. After the decision of the Dept. of Environment to accept REN's proposals, action on the ground would soon follow. Acting on advice from the other action group, a national protest campaign would be organised. Alongside, this a local awareness campaign would be set in motion.

2nd Residents Committee Meeting, 18:00 hrs today

The next meeting has now been confirmed for 18:00 hrs today, 3rd March, at Yvo's house in Malhada do Judeu.

Meeting with Sta. Catarina President

A meeting has been set for 17:00 hours on Friday 6th March in Sta. Catarina Council Offices with Sn. Leonardo António Gonçalves Martins, President of Sta. Catarina Freguisa to discuss the apparently unrelated plans to install high voltage cables, pylons and a wind farm in our area.

WIND TURBINE CONSULTANT

I spoke to Sn. Gonçalves today, who was present in A. de T when the wind measurement mast was erected. At that time he told us that he did not believe the high voltage cables would come up the valley, and that it was not possible for safety reasons to have high voltage cables and wind turbines in the same area.

He hadn't heard the news - that they were now coming up the valley, and I left him to investigate further. I told him the residents were now angry about all these development and that we had a list of questions for him. He was surprised anyone could have objections to the wind turbines, but would be happy to answer all our questions. In fact, he offered to meet with us later this week to provide the answers.

Anyone who is available is free to attend. As soon as we know when and where, I will post the information.

Keith

WELCOME

Welcome to the MATA Residents Committee noticeboard, or blog. MATA is shorthand for Malhada do Judeu, Água de Tabuas and Aporfiosa, 3 small hamlets sharing the same valley at the southern end of Serra de Alcaria do Cume, with over 20 full-time residents and a further 8 part-time residents, approximately 8km north of Sta. Catarina de Fonte do Bispo, in Tavira District in the Eastern Algarve.

Information concerning infrastructure developments affecting this community will be posted here on this site by the secretariat function which is currently carried out by Keith Boak and Toby Jarvis.


Minutes of the last meeting held on 26th February, letters to local authorities and a press briefing are in the process of being prepared and will be distributed once completed.

The next meeting is scheduled for 18:00 hrs on Tuesday, 3rd March at Yvo's house (although I'm not sure if Yvo knows this yet!). The main purpose will be to discuss the Department of the Environment's decision on the high-voltage cable route through the valley, announced since our last meeting.

Keith