Government reinforces urgency to increase housing construction in all municipalities
The legislative measure approved last week allowing municipalities in Portugal to allocate more rural land to construction aims to increase the number of homes available “at prices compatible with middle class incomes”, the government stressed today.
It is not a licence to open the doors to further ‘high-end’ developments.
The statute, approved during the Council of Ministers last Thursday, amends the Legal Framework for Territorial Management Instruments (RJIGT), making it possible, on an exceptional basis, for town councils and municipal assemblies to create new housing areas on land compatible with urban areas.
The process simplifies the provision of land, as this decision will depend solely on the town councils and municipal assemblies, without the need for approval by other bodies.
However, at least 70% of these homes will have to be sold at “moderate prices” – based on the national median and the local median – as they are intended to increase the housing supply for the middle class, the government says in a statement today.
“This measure will increase housing construction in all municipalities, ensuring that homes are affordable for middle-class families and, at the same time, profitable for companies in the property sector,” said Manuel Castro Almeida, Minister of State and Territorial Cohesion, quoted in the statement. “The lack of land has been one of the main causes of the high cost of housing.“
Municipalities still must respect the specifics defined for the national agricultural and ecological reserves. For example, construction is still prohibited “on land units with high suitability for agricultural use, under the terms of the National Agricultural Reserve,” the government stresses.
The text of the legislation states: “As for the National Ecological Reserve, fundamental natural values and functions continue to be safeguarded, as well as risks to people and property being prevented.”
Also quoted in the statement, minister for infrastructure and housing Miguel Pinto Luz argues that the measure “will promote greater social equity by allowing more housing to be built and, consequently,” increasing the supply of affordable homes.
Pinto Luz stresses that “solving the country’s housing problem is a national emergency” assuring that the government “is committed to implementing the measures of the Construir Portugal programme” so that everyone has “access to decent housing.”
Source: LUSA
