Funchal Mayoral Hopeful Vows Urgent PDM Revision to Tackle Housing Shortage
Jorge Carvalho, the mayoral candidate for the ‘Funchal Sempre Melhor’ (PSD/CDS) coalition, has declared his intention to urgently revise Funchal's Municipal Master Plan (PDM) if elected on November 12. The announcement, made on Saturday, frames the revision as an "essential" measure to address the municipality's pressing housing needs.
According to Carvalho, the current PDM, in place since 2018, has significantly hampered self-construction, making it difficult for residents to build their own homes. He argued that a review would "give back to families in the high-altitude areas the possibility of building and extending their houses, with clear rules and adequate safety conditions." This promise targets a key issue for local landowners who feel constrained by current zoning and building regulations.
"We are making a commitment to revise the PDM as quickly as possible," Carvalho stated in a press release. "In the upper areas of Funchal, we must once again allow people, on land that is theirs, to be able to build or extend their homes in a dignified, safe, and adequate way for their needs."
The candidate's housing strategy also includes measures to boost larger-scale construction. He pledged to reinstate a 20% building bonus. "This means that, for example, instead of 100 housing units, 120 can be built, increasing the supply of housing for the middle class," he pointed out. This incentive is designed to make development projects more attractive and financially viable, thereby increasing the overall housing stock.
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Furthermore, the 'Funchal Sempre Melhor' coalition plans to utilize "all available exemptions and incentives to support private developers and cooperatives." This policy aims to guarantee more accessible housing options for younger people and local families, who are increasingly being priced out of the market.
Carvalho also linked the housing issue to urban mobility, which he said requires a new, integrated response. "We cannot look at mobility based on the reality of 2018. Funchal today has around 90,000 cars, and every day thousands enter the city centre," he said. His proposed solutions include creating new parking hubs in the upper residential zones to serve residents and increasing parking capacity in the city centre, particularly in the parishes of Sé, São Pedro, Imaculado, Santa Maria Maior, and Santa Luzia.
The candidate concluded by positioning his platform as a response to the "real needs of the people of Funchal," aiming to balance housing, mobility, and quality of life. "The city has grown, it has developed, and we need to accompany that growth with better accessibility and more parking," Carvalho stressed. A revision of the PDM could significantly alter the landscape for property development in Funchal, potentially opening up new opportunities for construction and investment. Understand policy impacts on your Portugal property plans at realestate-lisbon.com.