Lagoa’s new municipal master plan (PDM) came into force this month, revealed the local council. The main objectives are to “safeguard the undisputed beauty of our coastline, encourage efficient use of land and promote growth within the main sector of the local economy – tourism”.
The new Plano Diretor Municipal de Lagoa (PDML) was published in the official government gazette Diário da República on August 26.
This “land-use planning instrument” replaces the former PDM which had been in force since May 1994.
The plan’s revision started in June 2015 and, according to the council, “it was a long, complex process of assessing and regulating land use, which required a concerted effort to determine objectives, criteria, methodology and legal aspects that were permanently evolving throughout the plan’s elaboration”.
Explained Lagoa council: “The involvement of citizens, interested parties and local agents throughout the public consultation period was pivotal to the elaboration of the final version of the Plano Diretor Municipal de Lagoa.”
Of all the municipal land-use plans, the PDM is the most wide-ranging, since it covers the entire borough, defines a strategy for development and spatial organisation, land-use management, urban planning, infrastructure/equipment location and spatial interdependence among neighbouring municipalities, thus ensuring regulations are in line with other national, regional and intermunicipal programmes.
“The PDM is a document of the greatest importance to citizens and local life, promoting efficient use of resources and social and environmental sustainability,” says the council.
According to Lagoa mayor Luís Encarnação, some of the objectives of the revised Plano Diretor Municipal de Lagoa are “to safeguard the borough’s 17km of stunning coastline; to ensure urban land-use is in harmony with our unique natural assets; and to promote economic growth – 90%-95% of business activity here is linked to tourism. These are all aspects covered by the new PDM.”
The strategy for this latest revision took into consideration emerging sectors and follows “specific objectives”, namely:
– To revitalise and reinforce the local economy and encourage growth;
– To regulate the use of land for development purposes and promote mobility;
– To encourage effective land use;
– To promote environmental sustainability and safeguard natural resources;
– To encourage proactive management of land in close proximity with citizens and promote territorial cohesion for more balanced and sustainable development.
To see the new Plano Diretor Municipal de Lagoa, (click here)
By INÊS LOPES
[email protected]
 was published in the official government gazette Diário da República on August 26.){kind=link}