Public property auction for mosques in Porto on 16 September

Nthe hall of the Municipal Assembly, in the Paços do Conselho, takes place at 10:30 a public haste for the disposal of the property located in the Rua da Porta do Sol 27 to 31, in the Sé, for the base value of 913,700 euros, which came to be intended for the Association Community of Bangladesh.

In the announcement, published on the “site” of the municipality and signed by the head of the Municipal Division of Asset Management, the destination since real estate consisting of two buildings and with an area of 365 square meters is that of “collective housing” and has a gross construction area of 682 square meters.

Also in the Hall of the Municipal Assembly, but by 11:30, will be made the property haste in Rua do Pinheiro Grande, in Campanhã, for the base value of 1,307,000 euros, which had been purchased by the municipality in order to establish the property surface right in favor of the Islamic Cultural Center of Porto.

The announcement shows that this space, with 2,721 square meters, “face to the Planning Plan of the Municipal Master Plan in force (...) is inserted in an area of buildings of housing type” with a maximum expected edability of 4,897.8 square meters.

On July 21, the municipal executive approved, with the vote against the councilors of the PS, alienate the two properties.

In May, Pedro Duarte (PSD/CDS/IL) revealed to Lusa the intention of putting these two properties into public auction, noting that this decision “does not prevent” their religious communities from acquiring these land and “gives equal possibility to other entities that can also show interest in them”.

Assuring that “the construction of mosques in the city of Porto is not a priority” for its executive, the mayor reiterated that he will not give up land for this purpose.

In question are two proposals that would be voted at the beginning of June 2025 by the then executive of independent Rui Moreira, but which were eventually withdrawn because the municipal mandate is coming to an end and because it is not “recommendable” the promotion of “initiatives that are not consensual”, so as not to contribute to the exacerbation of tensions in the city, justified to the date the former autarch to Lusa.

The proposals contextualized that “in the city of Porto there is a large Muslim community (about 7,000 people)” that regularly worships in the mosque of Rua do Heroísmo and Travessa do Loureiro, where they are also able to facilitate their integration and live in community.

One of the proposals came after a request from the Port Islamic Cultural Center, which has supported “financially and with food more than 400 families in need, in a context now aggravated by the flow of refugees”, and another from the Association Community of Bangladesh of Porto, which develops “immigrant support actions” of that country “in order to provide and support its integration”, “avoid its racial discrimination” or increase the “teaching of Portuguese”.

In both cases, provision was made for area rights for 40 years, with the payment of symbolic rents of EUR 50, which in the case of the CCIP is embodied in a support of EUR 416 thousand spread over 40 years (difference between the value of the area right and income) and in the CCIP of EUR 591.2 thousand (difference between the value of the area right and income).