The housing stock at Santa Maria Airport will receive an intervention worth €23.7 million, with works planned across 11 residential areas.
Source: Adobe Stock
Author: Redaction
€23.7 million project prepares intervention
The Azores Government has completed the overall project to renovate the infrastructure of the 11 residential areas that make up the housing stock at Santa Maria Airport, in Vila do Porto. The completion of this phase now allows work to proceed on an intervention estimated at €23.7 million. The project was developed by PMT – Coordenação e Gestão de Projetos Unipessoal, following a public tender launched by the regional government in 2024. The proposal was presented to residents and local and regional authorities on 4 September, at Incuba+, in Vila do Porto.
The intervention aims to restore a residential area that has faced several constraints over the years. The investment is expected to be carried out in phases, allowing implementation to be adapted to the Region’s budgetary resources.
Works cover several infrastructures
The works will be carried out area by area and include the renovation or construction of different infrastructures essential to the operation of the residential areas. Planned interventions include water supply and sanitation networks, electricity and communications networks, public lighting, roads and parking areas. The project also includes the restoration of green spaces and the road network. The intervention in the housing stock will be coordinated with another project led by Vila do Porto Municipal Council, aimed at improving municipal water supply and wastewater sanitation infrastructure in the airport area. Coordination between the two projects should make it possible to correctly size the infrastructure and ensure connections between the different networks, avoiding uncoordinated interventions in the future.
Regeneration aims to enhance residential area
The restoration of the housing stock is part of a broader process to enhance the area around Santa Maria Airport. The site has been classified as a site of public interest since 2017, which means specific rules apply to interventions. The current situation is also the result of years of limited intervention in infrastructure and surrounding areas. In 2013, the land and buildings ceased to be part of the State’s public airport domain and became part of the Region’s private domain.
To seek solutions to the existing problems, the Airport Area Working Group was created in 2022, bringing together representatives from the Regional Directorate for Housing, the Regional Directorate for Culture and Vila do Porto Municipal Council.
With the new project, the housing stock is entering a new phase of regeneration. The phased implementation should make it possible to progressively restore the different residential areas and improve the urban conditions and usability of this part of the island.
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