This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications InstagramXThreadsSnapchatTikTokYouTubeLAD Entertainment Home> Lifestyle> Travel A multi-million-pound waterpark might finally be opening after it was first announced 16 years ago The Portuguese attraction first started construction in 2008 it is set to open its doors to the public for the very first time A total of €26 million (£21.4million) has been put into the project despite the fact that it hasn't opened yet The original plan was for the waterpark to open by 2015 following the huge plans made to bolster tourism in the area it is stated that there will be a large indoor swimming pool a feature that is rare in the Iberian Peninsula If that wasn't enough, plans include bowling alleys and a disco for guests to enjoy Restaurants would be part of the waterpark too but all of these plans have been halted due to several financial restraints Authorities have given owners until the end of the year to make a decision on the park Media stated last year: "It is the goal of the municipality that the process be completed and it is the purpose of the infrastructure that it be available for use by the area "The mayor came to the conclusion that in the event that the work was not completed the owner would be required to start dismantling it." Manuel Cruz is the owner of the property and he has claimed that the project is 'not abandoned' Cruz did say the situation is 'delicate' though because of 'a series of problems' He continued to explain: "But every effort is being made to ensure that the problem is resolved as quickly as possible within the existing constraints." "We are in good negotiations with Turismo de Portugal and we believe that within this quarter we will be able to implement all the conditions that allow us to validate an operations date so that we can have a start and end date." He also aims to have all of this sorted out by the end of 2024 there is something similar like this opening soon in the north of England Therme Manchester is set to become the first and only waterpark with the £250 million project set to be completed in 2025 30 water slides and new plans have indicated some external water slides that shoot out of the building will be included and swim-up bars were announced in initial plans recent updates have revealed an English-meadow-inspired wellness garden in the works Topics: Travel, Holiday he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United which takes its toll on his mental and physical health Read today's Portuguese stories delivered to your email A group of citizens has scheduled a protest march for Saturday to demand the halt of the construction of a beach support and a car park next to Trafal beach The protest walk aims to “immediately stop the serious environmental attack that is being carried out with the construction, licensed by Loulé City Council The document signed by João Eduardo Martins says that the work is being carried out “just a few meters from the beach sand and with the indiscriminate felling of trees” with the aggravating factor of being “on an eroding cliff that suffers the effects of rising sea water” At issue are the construction of a restaurant a project that was licensed by Loulé Council before the municipality obtained the classification of Foz do Almargem and Trafal as a local nature reserve the municipality guaranteed that the works comply with current urban legislation and that measures were taken to “minimize” the impact of the works which affect only 1% of the protected area The civic group opposing the project launched a petition last month demanding the "immediate suspension of the works" having collected a total of 3,202 signatures by 4pm today “The protected area is of great ecological and landscape importance habitats of several protected species and plays a fundamental role in water regulation and biodiversity conservation,” the petition says We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to we ask you to support The Portugal News by making a contribution – no matter how small You can change how much you give or cancel your contributions at any time and universities of the protesters ought to be returned to their former natural ecology all these environmentalists are hypocrites saying in effect to the world: "...ok I'm happy with my slice of the earth and I'm all set but no one else should have the right to develop nature further" Send us your comments or opinion on this article Reaching over 400,000 people a week with news about Portugal Published: Invalid Date A HUGE waterpark in Portugal is yet to open - despite construction starting more than 16 years ago Parque Aquático do Almargem, in Portugal Around €26million (£21.4million) was invested in the huge project and had hoped to open by 2015 According to the website, there will be a huge indoor swimming pool - uncommon in the Iberian Pensinsular - with a wave pool and lazy river Other activities would include an aquarium, playground, spa and an outdoor pool However, due to a number of financial difficulties, the park is yet to open. And authorities have given the owners until the end of this year to decide whether to open the park - or it will be demolished. Local media said last year: "It is the goal of the municipality that the process be completed, and it is the purpose of the infrastructure that it be available for use by the area. owner of the property Manuel Cruz said the park is "not abandoned" He added: "It is not true that the Aquatic Park of Almargem is abandoned in a delicate situation due to a series of problems "But every effort is being made to ensure that the problem is resolved as quickly as possible within the existing constraints." His latest comments hoped to have "everything solved by 2024" a huge new indoor water attraction is set to open by next year The £250million Therme, in Manchester will have 25 swimming pools 35 water slides and an indoor beach along with swim up bars and spas Also inside the 28-acre resort will be a "Garden of Wellness," as well as an outdoor area Chessington World of Adventures has revealed plans to open its own waterpark too Set to 'rival Disneyland' it would have a wave pool If you can't wait, we've rounded up the biggest waterparks in the UK you can visit Or anyone heading to Disney World next year can get free entry to it's waterparks - here's how Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) announced the creation of the Natural Reserve of Lagoa dos Salgados but Almargem warns that there is much more work to be done The environmental association added that Lagoa dos Salgados will have protection status which is a victory for "those who have been fighting for more than 20 years for this final result" and also for nature conservation in the Algarve the Lagoa dos Salgados Natural Reserve “will be the second wetland in the region to be part of the National Network of Protected Areas - after Natural Reserve of Sapal de Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António which was the first Reserve found in Portugal in 1975 - which also includes the Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina the Natural Park of Ria Formosa and the Protected Landscape Areas of Rocha da Pena and Fonte Benémola These areas cover about 8.6 percent (43,000 ha) of the Algarve's territory” Almargem promoted a study in 2019 on three wetlands in the region - which included two other wetlands - Foz do Almargem and Trafal (Loulé) and Alagoas Brancas (Lagoa) “This study highlighted the importance of Lagoa dos Salgados and the need to promote its effective protection and the review of the Municipal Development Plans in force in order to ensure and protect its natural values” Almargem is happy with the local authorities of Silves and Loulé, as they were keen in following the guidelines of the study carried out by the association, unlike the Municipality of Lagoa that didn’t follow the suggestions in relation to Alagoas Brancas. “At a good time the municipalities of Silves and Loulé accepted the measures proposed in the study - unlike the neighbouring municipality of Lagoa This recognition represents an important decision” The Lagoa dos Salgados integrates a huge area which includes another wetland - the Sapal / Foz da Ribeira de Alcantarilha which is of great scientific interest at a geological and biological level not only because it has a large number and variety of bird species which is the result of a lot of habitats that in addition to integrating those two wetlands being one of the only free stretches of the central coast of the Algarve The association hopes that this classification will be followed by specific measures to promote the protection of the two wetlands in the area “namely through the maintenance and recovery of the species that inhabit there enhancement of the cultural heritage environment” despite the current Municipal Development Plan restricting the building works of the land in that area Almargem recalls that the threat of a new construction continues to hover over this area as there are three 4 and 5-star hotels and around 350 residential units integrated in tourist villages (with a total of 4,000 beds as well as a 18-hole golf course) planned for the Praia Grande area “Six NGOs had already taken this project to court in 2012 claiming a challenge to the Praia Grande de Silves Plan as well as the first Environmental Impact Statement which is still being processed by the Administrative and Tax Court since then” suggests replacing this project “as green as the label may seem” for a proper sustainable project that respects the natural heritage Paula Martins is a fully qualified journalist who finds writing a means of self-expression She studied Journalism and Communication at University of Coimbra and recently Law in the Algarve After 20 years of complaints they have seen the “light” ?? Well we have been fighting for @Salvar as Alagoas Brancas de Lagoa for nearly 6 years so will we have to wait another 14??