The Manta Rota neighbourhood was the first to undergo renovation work, kicking off the Municipal Housing Neighbourhood Redevelopment Programme in Vila Real de Santo António, which covers all the municipality's parishes. On 5 February, the residents of the first block were relocated to mobile homes for temporary rehousing and handed the keys by Deputy Mayor Patrícia Jerónimo, who also accompanied the start of the works on site.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: CM VRSA;

This solution allows families to remain in their neighbourhood, maintaining their social networks and daily lives, reducing the stress and inconvenience associated with these operations. The intervention in Manta Rota will be organised into two blocks, each with 9 units, as refurbishment work has already begun on 372 homes.

Once the renovation of the first block is complete, which is projected to take three months, residents will return to their homes, and work will then begin on the second block, after which families will move into the vacated temporary accommodation.

According to the municipality, this phased model will be applied to the remaining social housing neighbourhoods to ensure organisation, predictability and social stability throughout the process.

The investment, funded 100 per cent by the 1st Right Programme and the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), is the result of efforts carried out by the Municipality of Vila Real de Santo António under the Local Housing Strategy, which identified requirements, prepared applications and secured the necessary financing to move forward with an intervention of this scale.

More than a historic transformation of social housing in the municipality, this is a structural project that addresses needs accumulated over decades, improving comfort, safety, and energy efficiency for hundreds of families.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: CM VRSA;

For Álvaro Araújo, Mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, “the start of the works in Manta Rota symbolises the beginning of a historic transformation in the municipality. We are implementing the largest social housing redevelopment programme ever, with full funding from the PRR, and are proceeding with rigorous planning and a well-defined strategy. It is an investment that puts people at the centre of priorities and demonstrates that the municipality is prepared to implement structural projects with a real impact on the lives of families”.

As renovations gradually begin in all neighbourhoods, Vila Real de Santo António is consolidating an unprecedented intervention in the municipality, reaffirming its commitment to social justice, urban revitalisation and the effective improvement of housing conditions.

According to the approved plan, the total budget of €50,274,304.71 will be distributed by investment per neighbourhood, allocating €20,168,555.03 to the Santo António neighbourhood (143 dwellings), the Barquiha neighbourhood (73 dwellings) with €8.908,604.85, the Caminhos de Ferro neighbourhood (33 dwellings) with €4,810,474.14, the Navegantes neighbourhood (36 dwellings) with €4,715,434.14, the Encalhe neighbourhood (25 dwellings) with €3,884,054.07, the Caixa da Previdência neighbourhood (34 dwellings) with €3,854,865.83, the Manta Rota neighbourhood (19 dwellings) at €2,523,864.54, and the nine dwellings scattered throughout the municipality with €1,408452.74.