The interim deadline for the first presentation of the proposed revision of the Municipal Master Plans was extended until May 31st and a transitional regime was created for the procedures that are already underway, the Government announced yesterday, December 21st.
In a statement, the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion states that, in addition to the extension for one year, until December 31, 2024, of the deadline for the review of Municipal Master Plans (PDM) by municipalities, approved by the Council of Ministers, it was also extended by October 31st to May 31st «the interim deadline for the first presentation of a Plan proposal».
In this way, adds the ministry, it will be from that date onwards that “the sanction of suspension of the right to apply for European funds will apply, with the exception of areas relating to health, education, housing or social support”.
«Nevertheless, a transitional regime is created for procedures that are already underway, which makes it possible to lift the suspension of the right to apply for financial support that currently applies to 28 municipalities», says the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion, supervised by Ana Abrunhosa.
In the note, the ministry highlights that although the obligation to include the Land Use Classification and Qualification rules in Municipal and Intermunicipal Plans dates back to 2015, when an initial deadline of five years was established to comply with it, «and despite the successive deadline extensions granted, the process is far from complete in a large part of the continental territory».
According to Government data, as of November 30, only 64 municipalities had completed the process, while 214 municipalities had amendment/revision procedures underway.
However, there were still 28 municipalities that had not even scheduled the first meeting to present the Plan proposal. With the creation of the transitional regime now approved, it will then be possible to lift the suspension of the right to apply for financial support that currently applies to these municipalities.
Still regarding the diploma approved today and which extends the deadline for the inclusion of Land Use Classification and Qualification rules in Municipal and Intermunicipal Plans until December 31, 2024, the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion emphasizes that, in this way, «the municipalities will have another year to complete the harmonization of their territorial management instruments, adapting the municipal level to the current legal framework».
«The sanction of suspension of Plan standards will be applied to all municipalities that do not complete the process within the scheduled deadline», warns the Government.
The extension of the deadline follows a proposal from the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP), sent to the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion on October 18, in which the municipalities requested a new extension of the limit set for the adequacy of Municipal Planning Plans. of the Territory to the new soil classification and qualification law, approved in 2014.
The PDM is a mandatory document in each municipality in the country, establishing the territorial development strategy, the regulation of land use and the management of infrastructure in the municipalities.
The deadline for municipalities to adapt the PDMs according to the new Legal Regime of Territorial Management Instruments ended on December 31st.
The process begins with scheduling the first advisory committee meeting or procedural conference, as applicable.
Municipalities that had not initiated the review procedure would be prevented from accessing part of national and European funds that are not from “fundamental areas”, such as health, education, housing or social support.
Failure to comply with the deadline would imply the suspension of the rules of the territorial plans in force in the area in question, meaning that in that space, while the suspension lasted, there could not be "operations that involve the occupation, use and transformation of land", such as new buildings, for example.
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