DESTROYING A FOREST
TO CREATE
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
In August, the Seixal City Council decided to transform a vast area of the Seixal forest, near Belverde, into a new neighborhood called PINHAL DAS FREIRAS or UOGP33.
This ambitious project will cover around 3,000,000 m², of which 2,500,000 m² will be occupied by non-natural infrastructures. Most of the buildings will reach 19 meters in height, drastically altering our natural environment.
Currently, the project is in the urbanization phase. So far, no concrete proposals have been presented by construction companies, which means that now is the ideal time to act and demand that the City Council review and cancel this decision.
Note: The City Council has informed us that many steps remain before the finalization of the urbanization plan. The documents we possess are outdated (from 2021). However, these are the only documents we currently have and the only plans the City Council is willing to share. We will fight to cancel the plan completely unless the project is converted into an example of respect for biodiversity.
Right inside a Natura 2000 area
Natura 2000 is a European regulation to protect wildlife and flora in Europe. More specifically birds.
Although it doesn't forbid construction, it sets strict regulations on how construction should be done in these sensitive areas.
Although the CM Seixal project seems to want to respect those rules, we all know that the private companies doing the construction mostly never comply with ecological regulations.
WHY?
Officially, the goal is to address the housing crisis and boost the local economy for the residents of Seixal.
However, in reality, based on recent projects in the region, it seems more likely that luxury apartments and houses will be built, which tends to drive up local prices.
In fact, what appears to be behind this proposal is the increase in tax revenue for the municipality of Seixal.