Latest news and stories about housing in government in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
The Portuguese state has sold two vacant buildings in central Lisbon for 20 million euros, a price point that likely precludes their original intended use for public housing.
With only four months remaining until the European recovery fund deadline, the Minister of Infrastructure reports that 20,000 of the planned 26,000 houses have been completed under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Eight vacant government properties in Lisbon, recently sold or slated for auction, represent a missed opportunity to create approximately 450 public housing units.
Carlos Moedas' four-and-a-half-year tenure as Mayor of Lisbon is criticised for a lack of strategic vision and execution, marked by worsening housing crises, budget cuts, infrastructure failures, and allegations of political mismanagement.
The PCP voted against due to flaws in the lottery platform. The BE abstained, but secured an extension of the prior residency criterion from 10 to 15 years.
The Affordable Rent tender, part of the 'Back to the Neighbourhood' programme, provides 25 homes for young people up to the age of 35 across eight parishes. The proposal was approved with votes in favour from the PSD/CDS-PP/IL administration and Chega, votes against from the PCP, and abstentions from the PS, Livre, and BE.
An edict approved on June 3rd authorises the immediate demolition of illegal constructions in precarious neighbourhoods. Vida Justa warns that vulnerable residents cannot be evicted without an alternative.
Portuguese local authorities have already cancelled 10,324 local accommodation (AL) registrations as part of a review of establishments deemed inactive, a process that has been ongoing since the end of last year, reports Diário de Notícias. Lisbon City Council was the first to act, ordering the cancellation of 6,765 of the approximately 19,000 units.
“The complexity of the housing problem cannot be reduced to ideological bias; the problem must instead be approached from an inclusive perspective, in which different solutions are mixed and multiplied” - Excerpt from the article by the Mayor of Lisbon to be published in the book '108 Voices for Housing', coordinated by ISCTE, which Expresso previews.
Benfica is the first civil parish in the country to have a say in housing investment, which has already reached 77 million euros, with 290 homes proposed and a record execution time.
The Amadora City Council began demolitions in the former Santa Filomena neighbourhood.
In Lapão, Dina Silva's house “continues to subside and is getting worse”. The family is still living with relatives. As she did not carry out repair work for the damage, she was unable to access public support.
“I was completely caught by surprise by this news,” replied Moedas, indicating that the Lisbon City Council received a communication from the CCDR “for the first time” last week, on the 20th.
The Detailed Plan for the Eastern Slope of Olival Basto aims to organise territory with buildings in areas of steep slopes and geotechnical instability. A rental market has grown in many of these dwellings.
In April, the PS submitted a bill to parliament establishing a protection regime for public real estate assets suitable for housing.
The building is in an advanced state of decay, says the city councillor for Urban Planning. Opened in 1931 on Rua Domingos Sequeira, the former cinema closed permanently in 1985.
The PSD accused the PS of having exercised the right of first refusal only three times during 14 years of governing Lisbon City Council, without resulting in 'a single home'. Meanwhile, the executive led by Moedas used the mechanism in a project that plans to create housing in Praça José Fontana.
The Socialist Party (PS) in the Lisbon Municipal Assembly argued this Tuesday for greater use of the council's right of first refusal on properties that could be used for housing, in a recommendation rejected by the right-wing parties, who accused the Socialists of failing to do so when they were in government. During a meeting of the Lisbon Municipal Assembly (AML), Socialist Jorge Marques argued that...
The PS recommendation was rejected with votes against from PSD, IL, CDS-PP, and Chega.
Residents will have to choose between new housing 3km away or financial compensation. The 222 million euro project is once again stalled following a challenge from environmental associations.
A new building with 48 municipal homes in Amadora was constructed in half the time expected for a traditional project. The local authority will launch a tender for the allocation of the units this month.
The Mayor of Amadora wants to resolve precarious housing in neighbourhoods like Quinta da Lage by the end of the term. He also intends to find a solution for Cova da Moura and is holding meetings with the Government.
Dozens of families are still living in the Bairro do Talude, in Loures, surrounded by debris. Residents and the 'Vida Justa' movement carried out a cleanup operation this Sunday.
The constitution and regulations of this council must still be submitted for approval by the municipal assembly.
Montenegro took advantage of a meeting with the mayors of Lisbon and Porto to announce 400 more police officers on the streets of the two cities. The former Council of Ministers headquarters was donated to the capital's city council for housing.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced a reinforcement of 400 police officers for the Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas, with 200 allocated to each, to be deployed by the end of the year. The government also plans to reorganize internal services to free up an additional 500 officers for street patrols. Furthermore, the state will transfer the former Council of Ministers building to the Lisbon City Council for public housing, and a new economic district and outer ring road were announced for Porto to improve urban mobility and development.
The non-profit association Assistir fears that Vila Franca de Xira will lose European housing funds, but the municipality guarantees that it is already executing the applications.
