“We want to respond to the construction of the new Hospital da Luz […] and meet the needs of the city of Santarém, especially in the extension of the current retail park. We want to offer a greater number of square metres and have more commercial surfaces,” Diogo Grade, architect at Neoparts - Imobiliária, the project’s promoter, told Lusa.

According to the company, the project foresees the construction of four lots for commerce, hotels and services, giving continuity to the existing commercial area, as well as the creation of support services for the hospital unit.

According to Diogo Grade, there is the possibility of building a senior residence and clinical analysis laboratories. The possibility of one of the lots housing a new hotel unit to take advantage of its proximity to the National Center for Agricultural Exhibitions and Markets (CNEMA) is still under study.

“We have some operators who have agreed to participate and practically all the brands on the market have shown interest in being present in this new space,” said the manager.

Construction work is expected to begin in early 2026, with an expected creation of around 300 jobs.

"We are pleased with the promoters' intention to invest in that area. That area is growing with the construction of the new Hospital da Luz. There is a new centrality and this project is a way of bringing the plateau closer to CNEMA itself [...] and it will develop the municipality of Santarém by generating jobs", explained Mayor João Leite.

According to the mayor, the new investments will lead to others, namely in housing and accessibility.

"We also have housing construction starting in that area to meet demand. We are talking about a hospital that will create 500 jobs, we have to create other responses from the point of view of public space, access and housing. Therefore, these investments bring other public and private investments," he stressed, highlighting the "economic dynamics" that the projects bring to the municipality.