The Municipality of Matosinhos agreed today with the proposed amendment to the Municipal Master Plan (PDM) based on reducing the risk perimeter around the refinery, which closed in 2021, and the opening of public discussion.
Aiming at the integration of the specific rules of the Orla Costeira Caminha - Espinho Program (POC-CE) and the consequent reduction of the risk perimeter around the refinery, the proposal was voted against by the PCP. The proposal, discussed at an extraordinary public meeting of the municipal executive, received participation during the public participation period that ran from April 12 to May 04. However, "the content does not fit the terms of reference approved by the chamber for the present amendment as it presupposes a change in the classification and qualification of the soil". On April 6, when the municipality decided to initiate this first amendment to the PDM, the president, Luísa Salgueiro, guaranteed that this aims to reduce the risk perimeter around the refinery and not change the use of those lands. "Everything remains the same, there is no change in land use, there is no real estate speculation, there is none of that", he stressed. And he added: "it was very clear that housing is not being planned". Now, the public discussion period will follow, which will last for 20 working days, after issuing an opinion by the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N). In justifying the vote against, the communist councilor, José Pedro Rodrigues, explained that although the refinery had closed, the activity did not stop, continuing to receive and store hazardous materials.