In a private meeting, the Lisbon City Council discussed launching a tender for the allocation of land use rights to a cooperative for the construction of 12 non-profit houses on Rua da Venezuela in the Benfica district. The proposal was put forward by the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, which governs without an absolute majority.
Opposition councilors, including PCP, PS, Livre, and Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected via the PS/Livre coalition), presented amendment proposals. Some were voted on, but the voting process was halted after the PSD/CDS-PP leadership decided to withdraw its initiative.
A municipal executive source reported that the PSD/CDS-PP initiative was withdrawn following the approval of a PCP amendment and partial approval of a joint proposal by Livre and Cidadãos Por Lisboa, with the PS proposal not reaching a vote.
According to a source from the office of Lisbon’s Mayor Carlos Moedas (PSD), the PSD/CDS-PP leadership intends to “work with the PS to agree on a proposal that allows for more favorable application conditions,” with a document expected to be voted on in the next executive meeting.
The PS councilors indicated that their proposed amendments aimed to enhance the evaluation methodology for applications in the competition to improve the Primeiro Habitat Cooperatives Program, aligning it better with the needs of Lisbon residents.
“Thus, of the two factors under consideration, the number of housing units applying for first-time homeownership will account for 60% [instead of 40%], prioritizing those seeking their first home, while the applicable property regime for housing units will count for 40% [instead of 60%] in the overall evaluation,” proposed the PS.
The socialists also emphasized that, unlike the PSD/CDS-PP proposal, which assesses only collective ownership without considering individual property, “the PS proposal includes this modality as a weighting factor.”
The PS also mentioned awaiting results from the first approved operation under the Primeiro Habitat Cooperatives Program, specifically for constructing 18 homes on Rua Antónia do Couto in Lumiar, with only four cooperatives applying. This review aims to “gauge the model’s effectiveness and potentially introduce adjustments to broaden its application.”
The PS council also stressed that “negotiations with banks for a specific financing line for cooperative housing construction have not yet been conducted, limiting the pool of potential participants.”
The PCP’s suggested amendment was unanimously approved, “but as the main proposal was withdrawn, it did not progress,” noted the communist councilors, who intended for their suggestion to “prevent speculative pricing in situations where cooperants sell housing units.”
Among the approved points from the Livre and Cidadãos Por Lisboa proposal was urging the Government to promptly implement a 250 million euro financing line for affordable housing cooperatives, as outlined in the More Housing program approved in October 2023 (by the PS executive), to be promoted by Banco Português de Fomento, potentially allowing for refundable public advances.
In April, the council approved the allocation of land in Lumiar, on a 90-year surface rights basis, to the JHLX – Jovens Habitam Lisboa Cooperative for constructing 18 non-profit homes.
The Lisbon City Council executive comprises seven members from the “New Times” coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança), three from PS, three from Cidadãos Por Lisboa, two from PCP, one from Livre, and one from BE.
