Bataria do Outão will give way to a tourist development. With a privileged location, from Arrábida watching over the Sado, the old military infrastructure, abandoned nearly twenty years ago, will contribute to the attractiveness of Setúbal
In the heart of Arrábida Natural Park, overlooking the Sado, Setúbal and Troia, stands the Bataria do Outão, made up of the 7th Bataria de Costa and the Forte Velho do Outão.
The Old Fort was built as part of a plan to guarantee the defense of the Tagus and Sado bar, given the threat from Spain, following the restoration of Portuguese independence in 1640.
Since its location allows for a broad horizon, it was the most important military infrastructure for coastal artillery in defense of the mouth of the River Sado and Setúbal.
More than 300 years later, despite Portugal having presented itself as a neutral country in World War II, a defense plan for the Lisbon region was implemented, with a Coastal Defense Command based in Oeiras and eight batteries to protect the Tagus and Sado rivers, including that of Outão.
In 1952, in an investment equivalent to less than 50 thousand euros in expansion and restructuring works to adapt the military infrastructure to the evolution of new attack technologies, Bataria do Outão was delivered to the Independent Group of Artilharia de Costa.
The fortification never had to intervene in a real scenario. It only carried out shooting exercises until its deactivation, in 1992. It then continued to operate with a smaller core of personnel, but in 1998 it closed permanently.
At the beginning of the 2005st century, it was used by the Federation of Firefighters of the District of Setúbal and by the Army for training actions, but it has been abandoned since XNUMX.
The Municipality of Setúbal has warned several times, over the years, of the ongoing process of degradation of the old military infrastructure.
The answer came recently, on the 21st of July, when Turismo de Portugal launched a tender for the concession of the 7th Bataria de Costa, under the Revive program, aimed at the rehabilitation of unused public properties, under a concession regime. private for tourist use.
If the equipment to be installed is a hotel unit, it will allow an estimated number of 35 rooms, in a gross construction area of 6909 meters.
