The local authority stated that the investment will be fully financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and the 1º Direito programme. The works will begin in January and should be completed by June, which is the deadline for using European funds.
The aim of this work is to ensure greater comfort and improved thermal performance. According to the local authority, the main concerns are “structural reinforcement, thermal and acoustic insulation, roof insulation and waterproofing, as well as the complete replacement of the water, electricity, telecommunications and sanitation distribution networks”.
To ensure the well-being of residents of the social housing estates being renovated, the local authority will provide mobile homes as temporary accommodation so families can continue their daily routines close to their neighbourhoods while the works are carried out.
For Álvaro Araújo, Mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, this initiative represents “the culmination of a rigorous strategy to restore the dignity and quality of life that our residents have been waiting for decades, which is as ambitious as it is necessary”. “It is a decisive step towards the definitive resolution of housing shortages in the municipality,” he concludes.