Lisbon's City Council to Revamp Historic Shops Program to Preserve Iconic Establishments

Lisbon's Initiative to Protect Historic Shops

The Lisbon City Council is set to revise the regulations of the Historic Shops Program to prevent the closure of iconic establishments in the capital. This was announced by Joana Oliveira e Costa, the council member responsible for the Economy and Innovation portfolios.

"We will move forward with a change to the regulations of the Historic Shops. We are naturally safeguarding these situations where Historic Shops often do not make the leap and end up closing," stated Oliveira e Costa.

This announcement was made during a joint hearing of the 1st and 2nd commissions of the Municipal Assembly of Lisbon, as part of the discussion on the proposed municipal budget for 2025, which amounts to €1.359 billion.

During the three-hour hearing, the council member faced questions regarding the criteria of the Historic Shops program and the closure of some establishments not included in the initiative.

"These are shops often managed by a specific owner who fails to find a successor for their business, resulting in its closure," she explained.

Launched in February 2015, the municipal program distinguishes and provides financial support to classified establishments for interventions in areas such as architecture, restoration, culture, and economy.

This will be the last municipal budget of the current mandate (2021-2025), proposed by the PSD/CDS-PP management, under Carlos Moedas (PSD), who governs Lisbon without an absolute majority. If approved, it will be executed in an election year for local authorities.

The first three budgets under the PSD/CDS-PP leadership were approved due to the abstention of the PS, while the remaining opposition — PCP, BE, Livre, and Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) — voted against it.