Montijo, close to Pinhal Novo
Architect Ana Pinho is based in Pinhal Novo, a few kilometres from Montijo, and works on projects in the municipality in person. She visits the plot or the house, talks through the options on site and follows the works whenever the project calls for it.
A municipality in two parts
The Montijo municipality has an unusual feature: its territory is split into two parts that do not touch. The smaller one, where the town is, lies between Alcochete and Moita, by the Tagus estuary. The larger one stretches north-east of the Palmela municipality, through rural land with villages such as Canha, Pegões and Santo Isidro de Pegões.
Its current parishes are the union of Montijo and Afonsoeiro, Sarilhos Grandes, the union of Atalaia and Alto Estanqueiro-Jardia, Pegões and Canha.
What this changes in a project
In the town and the areas near the river, projects mostly deal with urban plots, existing houses and renovation. Near the estuary, constraints such as the National Ecological Reserve (REN) and the rules for the public water domain can limit what is possible close to the water.
The rural part of the municipality is a different world: farms, agricultural land and scattered older houses. The land there is often classed as rural, with constraints such as the National Agricultural Reserve (RAN), and new homes are limited. That is why renovating or extending an existing house, once its legal status is confirmed, is often the most workable route.
Who appraises the projects
Building applications are appraised by the Câmara Municipal do Montijo (the municipal council), under the municipality’s master plan (PDM). Ana prepares the application, coordinates the specialist engineering projects it needs and follows the appraisal until the decision.
What Ana does in Montijo
- New build: houses on urban plots and on land where the PDM allows it.
- Renovation: older houses in the town and the rural area, with a diagnosis before any works.
- Extensions: more space in a house that already exists.
- Legalisation: buildings and changes that were never licensed.
- Interior design: from the layout of the rooms to bespoke furniture.
Frequently asked questions
I have an old house in Canha or Pegões. Can I renovate it?
Often yes, but first you need to confirm whether the house is licensed and what the PDM allows on that plot. If a licence is missing, legalisation can be handled in the same process.
My plot is near the river. Are there limits?
There may be. Near the estuary, constraints such as the REN and the public water domain apply; analysing the plot shows what is possible before you invest in a project.
Does Ana travel to Montijo?
Yes, to the town and to the rural part of the municipality, whenever the project calls for it.