SILVES CAMÂRA is set to receive one million euros from the Portuguese government to build a new prison as part of the Programa de Investimentos e Despesas de Desenvolvimento da Administração Central (PIDDAC), the 2009 budget for public spending.
Câmara President Isabel Soares said: “I am very satisfied because the project to build a new prison establishment has been waiting to go ahead for some time and these funds allow us to be more confident about the realisation of this project.”
A total of 100,000 euros is also due to be made available from the PIDDAC for the Arade River to be dredged in Silves. “This amount will only allow us to start a very small part of the project, which is good but is not enough to complete a project that will cost around four million euros,” said Isabel Soares.
She added: “We consider this project to be important not just for the city but also for the whole region, because it will allow councils where the Arade River crosses to develop economically and in terms of tourism, through the movement of visitors and the consequent creation of businesses and jobs.”
As well as these funds, a further 267,636 euros have also been made available to pay for Silves’ new library, which opened earlier this year.
Next year’s PIDDAC funds also include more than one million euros to be spent on the recovery and refurbishment of architectural heritage in the Algarve region. “We do not know which councils will receive these funds, or which projects they will be applied to,” said Isabel Soares. “We would very much like for part of those funds to be used to renovate Silves Cathedral.”
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