The Minister also added that, if possible, the land's urbanisability, as determined by administrative decision, and the minimum habitability conditions foreseen by law should be analysed.

Minister Manuel Castro Almeida, speaking at the parliamentary committee on State Reform and Local Government, was responding to a request from Chega, which questioned the Government's strategies to "eradicate and prevent the proliferation of illegal constructions in urbanised territory".

Neighbourhood in Almada

Chega MP Patrícia Carvalho exemplified with "the dramatic situation" of the Penajoia neighborhood, in Almada, with "a gigantic proliferation of illegal dwellings" on state land, without basic sanitation and access to electricity, which "make illegal connections" from the legal houses of a neighbouring neighbourhood, generating "revolt among these residents", who feel "abandoned by the State and the municipality".

Recognising that it is a “truly complex issue,” Castro Almeida stressed that “it is up to the municipal councils to license constructions or to halt illegal constructions or to demolish already constructed illegal constructions.”

“I believe it should continue like this,” he said, noting that the government is reviewing the legal framework for building, which will be presented “very soon” to parliament.

“And I believe that the solution should be to legalise everything that can be legalised. If a building is constructed on land that was not suitable for construction, but which could be made suitable by administrative decision, I think the solution is to legalise the construction,” he insisted, considering that “it would be ridiculous to force the demolition of a house and, after a short time, revise the Municipal Master Plan” (PDM) and make the land suitable for construction.

Construction requirements

The minister considered that another issue is to assess whether or not the construction meets the habitability requirements stipulated by law.

"What I know of the case you mentioned is inappropriate, unsuitable houses for construction, for habitation, and I believe that they could hardly be legalised," he said, referring to the precarious houses in Penajoia.

For Castro Almeida, the best way to prevent the proliferation of illegal housing is "to increase the supply of land for legal construction" and to make land cheaper.

The Minister also considered that the central State, in coordination with the municipalities, should reinforce investment in housing for the neediest people and create conditions so that "private developers can more quickly start and complete their housing projects to put housing on the market at prices lower than the prohibitive prices" that exist today.

The government proposed, more than a year ago, a controversial land law, ratified by parliament with amendments, that provides facilities to transform rural land into land suitable for housing construction.