“We have already had the amendment to the Municipal Master Plan (PDM) approved, allowing the 480 homes at controlled prices for sale in Braciais to go ahead. […] We expect to put them out to tender by the end of the year,” António Pina (PS) said during a press conference, attended by Lusa, marking the first year of his term.

PDM suspension

The partial suspension of Faro's PDM, intended to implement the municipality's Public Housing Initiative Programme, has already been approved at a council meeting and ratified on Friday at a Municipal Assembly session.

The project will occupy around half of the 10 hectares available in Braciais, near Patacão, approximately four kilometres from Faro city.

The project involves the design and construction of 480 homes, “all intended for sale at controlled prices”, with the planned property types being “mainly two- and three-bedroom homes”, the mayor added.

António Pina did not specify the number of homes per property type at this stage and said it would be “premature” to announce the future sale prices of the homes planned for this development “without knowing the contract award value for the construction work”.

However, the estimated investment is “between €60 million and €70 million”, financed through a bank loan.

The area of Braciais will also include a green space of “around two hectares”, the possible installation of the Faro Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard (GNR), a proposal already submitted to the force's General Command, and the construction of school facilities.

The Faro mayor also announced that an amendment to the PDM is being prepared for a development in the parish of Estoi, aimed at building a further 488 homes, which he expects to be completed “in the first quarter of next year”.

In this case, it is still being studied whether the homes will be sold at controlled prices or offered through affordable rental schemes.

“If we can find a balanced financial model that does not cause losses for the municipality, we could have an affordable rental housing project there,” he argued.

The Local Housing Strategy (ELH), revised in 2023 by the previous PSD/CDS-PP/IL/MPT/PPM executive led by Rogério Bacalhau, projected the construction of 346 homes at controlled prices in Estoi (275 homes) and Braciais (71), as well as 132 social housing units in the latter development.

Affordable housing in the Algarve

In the Algarve, municipalities have prioritised affordable housing construction.

For example, in the municipality of Lagoa, the council announced the construction of more than 700 homes at controlled prices in the Union of Parishes of Estômbar and Parchal.

In Loulé, the municipality also amended the PDM to help mitigate the housing crisis, recently handing over 36 homes to local residents.

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