In the last week of April, the Government Portuguese approved and presented the second phase of the process of simplifying administrative procedures and reforming licensing. This time, the focus is on urbanism, spatial planning and industry, with the intention of solving the problems identified by the Minister of Housing, Marina Gonçalves.
Government measures to streamline and simplify construction permits in Portugal
Among the measures presented by the government, we highlight the creation of new cases of exemption, eliminating the construction permit and the authorization of use, which will be replaced by a simple prior communication. In addition, a model of tacit approval will also be created for the decisions of the municipal councils, making the approval of applications automatic in case of non-compliance with the legal deadlines.
For projects of Potential National Interest (NIP) that involve an investment of more than 25 million euros or are financed by European funds or by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), mandatory procedural conferences and a single act are foreseen. The goal is to streamline and simplify the approval process for these projects.
Reform of the Municipal Regulation simplifies urban processes
Another important measure is the exhaustive definition of the subjects that the municipal regulation can include and of the instructive elements, to reduce the ambiguity and complexity of these regulations. Procedural rules will also be repealed and some excessive requirements in the construction of housing, such as in the type of kitchen or bathrooms, will be eliminated.
The reform aims to facilitate the conversion of soils and buildings currently used for housing and services and to simplify the reclassification of rustic soil to urban land in areas contiguous to urban land. The creation of a single licensing platform, which guarantees the dematerialization of procedures and allows citizens to consult the status of processes and receive notifications of electronic notices or obtain certificates of exemption from urban planning procedures, among other aspects, is also planned.
