«Houses facing the future, easy to use, economical to use, intelligent and uncompromised, with an A/A+ rating». This is how Gaspar Ferreira, from the company that will build 227 housing units at controlled costs in Vale de Lagar, Portimão, describes the houses to be built.
The new urbanization, divided into seven blocks that should all be built within two years, will cost around 20 million euros. The land was purchased and transferred by the Portimão City Council, which continues to implement its municipal strategy to combat the municipality's housing shortages.
The new neighborhood is located very close to the buildings erected in the 70s and 80s by the Economic Housing Cooperative, precisely to respond to what was, half a century ago, immediately following the revolution of April 25, 1974, one of the biggest problems : the lack of decent homes for people who, at the time, lived in tents, in clandestine neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city. One of them was precisely there, in Vale de Lagar.
Isilda Gomes, mayor of Portimão, at the laying of the first stone ceremony, said she felt “very happy that we are doing this exactly at the time of the 25th of April, because true democracy will only exist when everyone has the right to decent housing. This is the first right».
«No family will be happy if it does not have its space to grow, to live and to actually have its moments of rest. This is fundamental», stressed the mayor.
The thing is, fifty years later, perhaps for slightly different reasons, the lack of housing is once again a serious shortage. But the new urbanization, with housing built at controlled costs, is aimed not at the most needy families, but at the middle class, who are also unable to buy a house at current market prices.
«The middle class, in recent years, has been crushed and its quality of life, economic and investment capacity has greatly reduced. Giving young couples who want to start a family the opportunity to have a house is a giant step forward», added the mayor of Portimão.
Of the 227 homes to be built, 23 «will be owned by the City Council», intended «mainly for some professional groups of which we have some lack» and who «do not come to Portimão because they cannot find a house at a price they can afford». They are “health professionals, teachers, security professionals”.
In addition to the houses destined for these professionals, there are 204 left to be purchased, «for a much lower price than what is sold on the market», by many other families, added Isilda Gomes.
And that, according to the mayor, «is us taking a huge leap forward in the construction of democracy in Portimão, because, in fact, the 25th of April, 50 years ago, brought us this duty, this obligation, to look at those who have more needs and we try to solve their problems».
Businessman Gaspar Ferreira added, for his part, the guarantee that the new urbanization will be of high quality. «Tell me what you build and where you build it. We are building in a great place to live in Portimão, where we feel the responsibility to build well. I think none of the neighbors need to be worried because we are not going to build houses inferior in quality to those that exist here. This is our commitment".
The businessman spoke about his company’s experience in Lejana de Baixo, in Faro, where, under the same controlled-cost housing scheme, 90 homes have already been built, which are now in the deeds phase with buyers.
To ensure that the work is well done, «we have a highly professional team, all made up of people from the Algarve, we even found a young man here from Portimão who is making direct contact with the people that the Chamber selected», after a public competition, to buy these apartments at controlled costs.
«The company will earn its money, because it has the right to do so, the Chamber will also, of course, be happy because it has fulfilled one of its political objectives, which is to provide people with quality of life», concluded Gaspar Ferreira.
To mark the laying of the first stone, it was signed by many of those present - Mayor, councillors, members of the administration and technicians of the construction company, other mayors, particularly from the parish, technicians from the Municipality and even a municipal deputy from the opposition -, a car, which was then placed in a waterproof tube, together with a newspaper of the day and some current coins.
This tube was then placed in an area that will be located in the foundations of one of the apartment blocks to be built, to witness the day work began. «It's for the archaeologists of the future to discover», said Pedro Littlechinho, from the Portimão City Council's communications office.
In Vale de Lagar, 85 type 1 homes will now be built, 105 T2 and 10 T3, aimed at people between 18 and 45 years old who applied to the public competition previously launched by Portimão City Council, as part of its Local Housing Strategy.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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