The Environmental Compliance Report of the Execution Project for the Ruby Line of the Porto Metro, now in public consultation, confirms the demolition of houses within the Special Protection Zone of the Primary School of Cedro, in Gaia.
In practice, it involves adding a house to the houses to be demolished on Rua Conde D. Pedro, in the Santo Ovídio area (Vila Nova de Gaia), the end of the future Ruby Line (Santo Ovídio – Casa da Música), which is inserted in the Special Protection Zone (ZEP) of the Cedro Primary School, designed by Fernando Távora. On the other hand, a building also included in the ZEP, on Rua Fernão Mendes Pinto, whose demolition was planned in the preliminary study phase, will be maintained, according to RECAPE.
At stake is the Cedro Primary School, designed by the architect Fernando Távora and built between 1958 and 1960, representing “one of the pioneering contributions to the development of contemporary architecture in Portugal”, according to the ordinance that established that educational establishment as a monument of interest in 2013. The creation of the ZEP took “into consideration the implementation of the Cedro Primary School and its urban surroundings, and its establishment aims to safeguard the architectural coherence of this framework and the correct visual reading of the property”.