The proposal was approved during an extraordinary meeting of the municipal executive and now moves to the Municipal Assembly for review, discussion, and a vote.

In a statement, the municipality said the Municipal Housing Charter expands on the Local Housing Strategy approved in 2021, extending the intervention timeframe to 2036 and shifting the focus beyond “situations of severe housing need” also to include “middle-income families facing difficulties accessing the market.”

The document is based on an assessment identifying 299 cases of housing need, including 133 unresolved instances of substandard housing conditions and 166 new requests for assistance identified in the interim.

The municipal strategy further estimates that, by 2036, it will need to provide housing for between 220 and 340 households in the subsidised housing segment and between 430 and 690 households in the affordable housing segment; it also plans to create “service housing” units for public sector professionals.

According to the proposal, 306 of the 566 planned housing units will result from direct municipal action. This total comprises 91 subsidised rental units, seven units for affordable rental and service housing, 168 units for sale under a resolvable ownership scheme, and 40 plots designated for self-construction.

Another 260 housing units are set to be developed on municipal land in partnership with social sector organisations and cooperatives.

The Municipal Housing Charter also establishes “interim targets for 2026, 2030, and 2036, defines action priorities, identifies the entities responsible for implementing measures, and creates a monitoring and evaluation model for municipal housing policy,” the municipality states.

According to the document reviewed today by Lusa, Almeirim has seen a rise in its immigrant population, primarily from Eastern Europe and Latin America, as well as an influx of residents from the Lisbon Metropolitan Area; these factors have contributed to increased housing demand.

At the same time, housing prices “have seen a significant rise since 2015,” driven by high demand and a supply shortage, with approximately “half of the municipality’s households potentially facing difficulties accessing the market without public support.”

Consequently, the document proposes strengthening “municipal intervention in the housing market through land acquisition, expanding the public housing stock, promoting subsidised and affordable rentals, building controlled-cost housing, and mobilising vacant properties.”

The municipality also intends to address vacant properties through increased taxation and the creation of an “Urban Pressure Zone” in the city of Almeirim, aiming to boost the housing supply available on the market.

The proposal also highlights the potential impact of the new Lisbon airport project on the municipality, acknowledging that the increased demand associated with this investment could intensify pressure on housing prices “and require future adjustments to the strategy now outlined,” the document reads.