LISBON CÂMARA is rethinking its decision to sell off the Marquês de Pombal Palace, which was listed as a Building of Public Interest in 1993.
The Mayor of Lisbon, Carmona Rodrigues, and the câmara’s culture officer, Amaral Lopes, have both asked the Deputy Mayor, Fontão de Carvalho, for a stay of execution on the decision to sell the property.
However, this does not mean that the câmara will not eventually sell the Grade I listed property, which was the 18th century town house of the Marques de Pombal.
The Deputy Mayor, who also holds the portfolio for Finances and Heritage at the municipal authority, has long defended a policy of selling off the city’s patrimonial family silver as a way of cutting maintenance costs and generating revenue for the cash-strapped council.
