The towers of Forum Madeira, in Funchal, are at the center of an urban planning issue related to their compliance with the Municipal Master Plan. About five years ago, a court decision brought this issue into debate, resulting in a definitive embargo, although the towers will not be demolished. The reference date mentioned is September 11th, coinciding with the remembrance of the Twin Towers attacks in New York.
The central question raised by the article is how it was possible for owners and residents to receive occupancy permits, occupy their homes and, years later, a court decision emerge recognizing an urban planning non-compliance. The text argues that whoever buys a home starts from the principle that the property is properly licensed and fit for use, and owners should not be held responsible for any errors, omissions, or decisions of the Administration.
The article argues that this situation reveals broader problems in the way urban planning is done in Funchal. It argues that the PDM must be known, applied, and inspected before the issuance of licenses, and that an occupancy permit cannot be a simple piece of paper, but rather an administrative act that generates trust. The position defended is that it is necessary to separate responsibilities between the owners, who trusted the permits, and those who licensed, inspected, or should have detected the non-compliance.
Although the embargo is definitive and the towers will not be demolished, the article warns that the question cannot be closed with a court decision. The residents will continue to live in their homes, but the responsibility for what happened cannot simply disappear, and it is necessary for the Administration to assume its failures when they occur.
