Works begin on Centro Escolar da Feira in Santa Maria da Feira: €10.8 million project

Construction begins on the Centro Escolar da Feira site

Machinery is now operating on the plot where the new Centro Escolar da Feira will be built, a project valued at more than €10.8 million that is set to reshape educational provision in the heart of Santa Maria da Feira. The scheme will replace the former Fernando Pessoa Primary School (Escola Básica Fernando Pessoa) with a contemporary school complex designed to welcome both pre-school children and pupils in the 1st cycle.

New classrooms and learning facilities at Centro Escolar da Feira

Part-funded through EU programmes, the contract includes 16 classrooms for the 1st cycle and four rooms for pre-school education. The plans also provide a library, a dining hall, a multi-purpose room that will also function as an auditorium, a “classroom of the future”, and upgraded outdoor areas intended to support learning and play.

Refurbished sports pavilion for pupils and the wider community

The project also covers the refurbishment of the existing sports pavilion. It will continue to serve the school community, while remaining available to local associations and the wider public, with improved conditions for sporting activity.

Santa Maria da Feira Municipal Council response and statements

With works under way, Santa Maria da Feira Municipal Council says it is meeting a long-standing request from the local education community. The council president, Amadeu Albergaria, describes it as “a very important project for the city and for the municipality”, stressing that it addresses “a need identified for several years”.

“​​We made this a priority, secured funding and moved ahead with the project. It was a known need and today it is being delivered,” the mayor adds.

According to the council, the new Centro Escolar da Feira is one of the most significant interventions in the municipality’s education network in recent years, “strengthening the capacity to meet today’s demands in teaching and providing better conditions for pupils, teachers and non-teaching staff”.

Investment as an urban improvement in the city centre

Beyond its educational role, the investment is also presented as an element of urban upgrading in one of the city’s most central areas, helping to renew a space that has long been seen as in need of modernisation.