“We are available to promote the change of the Parque das Cidades Detailed Plan [PPPC], in order to meet the needs of the Southern Reference Oncology Center [CORS]”, said Vítor Aleixo at a press conference.

The new Oncology Center should have been operating since the end of 2024, but the latest proposal presented by the architectural firm chosen by the entity promoting the work, the Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS), was rejected last week by the municipality's urban planning department.

“The Chamber’s technicians were very quick to point out the solution to a problem that we want to see resolved quickly,” said the mayor.

Vítor Aleixo stated that, with a “proactive” stance from the entities involved, Loulé Council, Faro Council and the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR), the detailed plan could be changed in 7/8 months.

The mayor assures that he already has the document ready to begin the process of operationalising the change to the Parque das Cidades Detailed Plan, to integrate the Southern Reference Oncology Center.

According to the plan drawn up, the local authority will first meet with ULS Algarve and then with Faro City Council and CCDR/Algarve.

According to Vítor Aleixo, last November, the council services had already rejected the licensing request presented at the time by ULS, a body that was previously known as the Algarve University Hospital Center (CHUA).

There are several reasons for the refusal: the limit area of ​​the plot made available for construction is 5,559.30 m2, but the intervention area proposed by the developers was 6,907.21 m2, larger than that authorised.

On the other hand, the project did not respect the stipulated green areas, with the maximum construction area of ​​6,228 m2 being, once again, exceeded by the architects' proposal, which envisaged the construction of 7,154.25 m2.

Vítor Aleixo said he was unaware of the impact of these changes on the planned community support.

Last September, the Algarve 2030 program launched the call for proposals for financing the Southern Reference Oncology Center, with an allocation of 8 million euros.

The technological diagnostic and therapeutic unit specialised in cancer prevention and treatment has an estimated investment of €12 million and the infrastructure is expected to serve 3,500 patients annually.

The Oncology Center will be located in Parque das Cidades, on the outskirts of the Algarve capital, on land provided by the municipalities of Loulé and Faro and next to which the future Algarve Central Hospital is planned to be built.

Investment in this health infrastructure, within the scope of the National Health Service, is part of the National Strategy to Combat Cancer 2021/2030, led by the Ministry of Health.

This investment, financed by community funds, “aims to correct the recognized regional inequality in access to prevention, treatment and oncological care, considering the lack of a specialized structure of the National Health Service between Lisbon and Seville”, according to the CCDR/Algarve.

Parque das Cidades covers an area of ​​225 hectares and is a joint project between the municipalities of Faro and Loulé, having been initially created with the aim of affirming and promoting the Algarve, especially for participation in the European Football Championship – UEFA EURO 2004.

The site has more than 70% dedicated to green spaces and ecological corridors.