Questioned by the social-democratic councillor Mariana Macedo about drug consumption in the area, the councillor responsible for Urbanism at the Porto City Council, Pedro Baganha, clarified that the project is being analysed by municipal services.
"Our expectation is that the demolition contract will be launched in the last quarter of this year, which will, in our estimate, cost around 220 thousand euros", stated the councillor during the municipal executive meeting.
Jornal de Notícias reported on May 23 that drug trafficking and consumption had returned "in force" to the Sé area, in the historic centre of the city, with an area for drugs currently in one of the courtyards of the old S. Sebastião market.
Last year, on July 24, the mayor of Porto stated, at the end of an executive meeting, that the municipality would try to figure out "what to do" with the S. Sebastião Market.
Rui Moreira then recalled that the market was not in a position to do so and that it would most likely be demolished, arguing that it would subsequently be necessary to "meditate" with the executive on the solution to adopt in that space.
"We can demolish the building, we can build a market there or use that space for something else. Now we will also meditate together with the executive", he said, saying that all the reports pointed to the existence of "huge problems" and that the market "never had comfortable conditions", neither for traders nor for consumers.
On September 26, 2022, the municipal executive unanimously approved the revocation by mutual agreement of the contract signed with the historic centre board regarding the management of the S. Sebastião Market, whose rehabilitation ended up not being implemented.