According to the council, more than 100 vehicles regularly abuse the free parking in the 212-spot São Sebastião underground car park.
Monchique Mayor Rui André, in comments to newspaper Correio da Manhã, said: “We had to introduce the measure to put paid to the abuse, because the car park was being used by some people, many of them from outside the county, as a garage. There are 105 cars permanently parked there.”
In a move to crack down on those milking the situation the council has asked the cars’ owners to remove their vehicles before 11 August. Anyone failing to do so will be mailed a notification asking the proprietors to remove their cars within three days, after which the vehicles will be towed away with the fees to be paid for by owners.
The car park will then be cleaned and repainted and from next month charges will be introduced.
It is the first time ever that the mountain town will charge for parking.
A fee of 80 cents an hour will be applied and the car park will remain open 24 hours a day, as opposed to closing at 11pm, as it does at present.
Reduced monthly and annual fees will also be available for those living and working in Monchique.
As well as putting a stop to advantage-takers, Mayor André said the measure will also help the town “garner revenue to cover the costs of keeping the car park.”