The signing of the contract for the adaptation of the former Lagar dos Lopes to a student residence took place in Elvas, and the work has a deadline of 24 months.

“It is an investment of €4 million, financed 50 percent by community funds”, said the Mayor, Nuno Mocinha, to the Lusa agency.

According to the mayor, “the work should have already started” at the end of last year or the beginning of this year, “but the delay was due to needing to wait for approval from the Court of Auditors”.

This investment will bring “more capacity” to “attract” students to the School of Agriculture of Elvas, educational institution located in the city and belonging to the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre (IPP), stressed the mayor.

“It is the contribution that the Municipality of Elvas can give to higher education, youth and attracting people to our territory. Some of these students, when they come, no longer leave, end up taking the course here, stay here working and end up starting a family. There are several examples in this sense”, he added.

The municipality, which acquired the mill property for around €200,000, will build a residence consisting of single and double rooms and studios, with a total of 81 beds.

Study and social rooms, a dining room and kitchen, laundry facilities and patios are other features of the residence.

“We will have 60 single rooms, three one bedroom flats, two single suites and eight double rooms,” said the mayor.