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Gaia expected to cancel controversial Lavandeira pool project and invite residents to plant trees on site

15 MAR, 2026
Bruno Oliveira
The municipality has scrapped a 40-year private concession that had already cleared all trees from part of the park, and is calling the public to join a reforestation event on 21 March at 11h00.
Main image of Gaia expected to cancel controversial Lavandeira pool project and invite residents to plant trees on site

Vila Nova de Gaia has cancelled a concession agreement signed in 2025 by the previous municipal executive, which had granted a private company a 40-year lease over a considerable forested area of Parque da Lavandeira. The operator had already felled all trees on the site before the new administration moved to annul the contract, returning the land to public use as part of the wider park.

The municipality describes the original deal as a ruinous arrangement for the city, one that stripped residents of access to a green space they had long enjoyed. Reforestation with native species is now planned for the cleared area, though the trees are expected to take several years to reach meaningful size.

To mark the start of replanting, Gaia is inviting the public to participate on Tree Day – Saturday, 21 March, at 11h00, at Parque da Lavandeira. The initiative has the support and participation of local environmental associations and movements active in Vila Nova de Gaia.

The cleared area at Parque da Lavandeira, Vila Nova de Gaia, where construction of an Olympic pool had already begun to transform the landscape.

The cleared area at Parque da Lavandeira, Vila Nova de Gaia, where construction of an Olympic pool had already begun to transform the landscape.

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