A new cycle begins in the intervention of MatosinhosHabit in terms of urban rehabilitation: expanding the dynamics observed in the city of Matosinhos and Leça da Palmeira. Go to other territories of the municipality, starting with the city of São Mamede de Infesta.
Due to the various problems it encompasses, the Urban Rehabilitation Area (ARU) of São Mamede de Infesta is one of the priorities in terms of the various interventions that MatosinhosHabit has planned for the year 2020. In this sense, and during the public presentation session, the Mayor of Matosinhos, Luísa Salgueiro, highlighted some aspects to take into account within the scope of the delimitation process of this new ARU, namely: · Despite the fact that the delimitation procedure of an ARU does not require a formal process of public discussion, MatosinhosHabit and the municipality considered it pertinent to publicly present the proposal for the delimitation of the ARU of São Mamede de Infesta, with the triple objective of informing citizens about the ongoing process, to collect possible contributions to the final proposal for the delimitation of the ARU and to publicize some of the fiscal and financial incentives for urban rehabilitation;
· Later, in the elaboration phase of the PERU (Programa Estratégico de Reabilitação Urbana), it may be possible to expand the limits of the ARU, with a view to including adjacent areas that witness some urban pressure, which need interventions of urban structuring and qualification, as may be the case in the area surrounding ISCAP (from Arroteia to Cavadas), in a logic of natural extension and continuity of this establishment with the University hub of Asprela; · Urban buildings, the object of rehabilitation works that are located outside the geographical area delimited by the ARU, may also enjoy some tax benefits (namely in terms of IMI, IMT and VAT), which are governed by specific legislation , following their own procedures; · Available land was identified, in private municipal domain, which are considered the potential for the promotion of affordable rental: free of commitments and encumbrances, and with an approximate area of between 6,000 and 8,000 m2, for the construction of about 30 dwellings. In the first, the Chamber will cede the land and the IHRU will promote the construction, handing over the operation of the dwellings for a period of 50 years. In the second scenario, the Municipality will be the partial or total promoter of the investment, having access to 30% of the non-refundable fund, delegating the management of the process to the IHRU;
· With the aim of delimiting an Urban Rehabilitation Area, in each of the old parishes of the municipality, the delimitation of ARU will begin in the course of this year in Lavra, Santa Cruz do Bispo, Custóias and Araújo ( Leça do Balio), leaving the remaining parishes for a later stage: Perafita (Farrapas), Guifões and Senhora da Hora. The motivations behind the development of the process of delimitation of the ARU of São Mamede de Infesta are of a diverse but interdependent nature: 1st - The reinforcement of the centrality of the city of São Mamede de Infesta. 2nd - The resolution of problems of disqualification and degradation of public space. 3rd - The need to encourage the recovery of relevant heritage elements with significant transformation potential (public and private), including the natural heritage to be integrated into the urban ecological structure. 4th- The dynamization and creation of incentives for the private initiative and (v) the access to financing programs for both public and private projects. Consisting of 1,762 buildings (about 5% of the municipality's total buildings), representing about 4,900 dwellings (6% of the Matosinhos municipality's total), the ARU has a predominance of buildings built between the 1961 and 1980's (69 % of buildings), with a clear predominance of housing (76% of buildings have at least one dwelling). It should also be noted that 192 of the buildings integrated in the area under analysis are vacant (11%), part of which consists of buildings in terrible and poor condition. With regard to the state of conservation of the building stock, 20% of the buildings (343) are in a "very bad" or "bad" state of conservation, revealing intervention needs, either through partial or complete rehabilitation works, with the in order to be able to be occupied again.
Owners who carry out urban rehabilitation works in this territory will be able to enjoy a wide and attractive set of tax benefits (reductions or exemptions) in terms of IMI, IMT, IRS and VAT, in addition to some municipal fees. With the delimitation of an ARU in São Mamede de Infesta, the municipality of Matosinhos seeks to embody the municipal strategy of urban rehabilitation that it has been implementing, which involves the definition of priority intervention territories, to which a relevant dynamism of nature has corresponded. private (building rehabilitation) and public (requalification of public space, equipment and urban infrastructure). Currently, three ARUs have been legally constituted in the municipality, for which the corresponding Strategic Urban Rehabilitation Program has been approved: Leça da Palmeira, Matosinhos and Matosinhos Sul - documents that can be consulted on the Matosinhos municipality website.