Independent councilors for Funchal, Luís Filipe Santos and Jorge Afonso Freitas, welcomed the Regional Government's decision to reserve approximately 29,000 square meters of land in Amparo, São Martinho, for controlled-cost housing.
However, the councilors argue that this measure partly revives a proposal they submitted to the municipality on July 17th. At that time, they advocated for revising the Amparo Urbanization Plan alongside the Municipal Master Plan (PDM) to increase the area's housing capacity.
Santos and Freitas emphasize that "simply announcing land for housing is not enough. Building housing requires much more than making land available." They call for integrated planning, infrastructure, and coordination between the Regional Government and the Funchal Municipal Chamber to turn announcements into homes.
