In a private meeting of the municipal executive, the two proposals relating to the new hotels were approved with votes against from the PCP, Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) and BE, abstention from the PS and votes in favour from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, which governs without an absolute majority, a source from the municipality informed Lusa.

Signed by the Councillor for Urban Planning, Joana Almeida (independent elected by the “Novos Tempos” PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança coalition), the proposal relating to the buildings of the Hospital de São Luís dos Franceses, in Bairro Alto, in the parish of Misericórdia, foresees an expansion work, using partial demolitions, for the installation of “a 5-star hotel establishment, with 68 accommodation units, of which 4 are single rooms, 62 are double rooms and 2 are suites”.

The urban operation concerns an urban building with a total area of ​​1,567.30 m² (square meters), referring to the former Cunhal das Bolas Palace, composed of six buildings, currently occupied by the Hospital de São Luís dos Franceses, and which, according to the regulations of the Urbanization Plan for the Historic Center of Bairro Alto and Bica (PUNHBAB), is located in “historical residential area I” and is part of the Municipal Charter of Built and Landscape Heritage, being “an integral part of a Public Interest Complex – Bairro Alto, of national relevance and subject to the protection of the IP Cultural Heritage”.

The licensing of the work, requested by Mercan Property Bairroalto, Lda, as the owner of the building located at Rua da Rosa no. 181-197 and Rua Luz Soriano no. 178-182, “embodies the preservation of the original structure” of the Cunhal das Bolas Palace, “assuming the whole with the juxtaposition of distinct parts, endowed with different languages, which complement each other, including the maintenance of the main entrance through the courtyard of Rua Luz Soriano”.

According to the proposal, the building planned for the new hotel has five floors above the threshold and basement level, with a floor area of ​​5,751.58 m², and the maximum heights of the existing facade and building are maintained.

The approval of the architectural project for this work is subject to the “presentation of a favourable conclusive opinion from the IP Cultural Heritage, which must cover the aspects of architecture, archaeology and landscaping”, and the “replacement of the plaque with the inscription of Fernando Pessoa, which was located next to the main gate”.

The poet Fernando Pessoa was admitted on November 29, 1935, to the Hospital de São Luís dos Franceses, where he ended up dying the following day, at the age of 47.

At the meeting, the chamber also approved the architectural project, to be carried out in the building at Rua Tomás Ribeiro no. 49, in the parish of Avenidas Novas, with an area of ​​1,022.48 m², for the construction of a 4-star hotel, with a capacity for 117 accommodation units.

“The new building, with a construction area of ​​925.43 m², floor area of ​​5,218.01 m², constructed area of ​​8,067.25 m², has seven floors above the threshold level plus one floor set back and four floors below the threshold level and maximum building and façade height of 27.10 m and 21.45 m, respectively”, according to the proposal.

The approval of this project, submitted by Predurba - Prédios Urbanos SA, as the owner of the building, is subject to compliance with the opinions of the various entities consulted.

In a statement sent after the approval of these proposals, the BE council criticized the construction of two new hotels in Lisbon, especially the one planned for the Cunhal das Bolas Palace, saying that “it is a classified property that will be gutted and will become a hotel in an area totally saturated by tourism”.

“Since the beginning of Carlos Moedas’ (PSD) term, two hotels have been opened per month, which shows the over-tourism that Lisbon has been subjected to”, explained the BE, indicating that a new private residence for students in Olaias was also discussed at this meeting, regretting the lack of proposals for public residences.