Mafra wants to become an intermediate freight station with an investment of over 100 million euros

The Mayor of Mafra has his sights set on creating a logistics hub and business park that will take advantage of the renovated rail and road infrastructure , with a focus on attracting exporting companies. Aware of the lack of large estates in other locations, Hugo Luís believes that it is possible to bring together wills and land to create an area of ​​100 hectares , using a strategy similar to that of Parque Expo , which requalified and boosted development by aggregating plots of land.

“The municipality of Mafra must be the driver of development, a driving force behind development and not leave all intentions and achievements solely to the private sector”, argues the mayor.

The investment, worth over 100 million euros, is “mainly based on private capital”, says Hugo Luís to ECO/Local Online. Among the attractions that the mayor believes he has for investors is, at the forefront, the proposal for a logistics hub with a fast connection between the industry in the Leiria area and the port of Lisbon, taking advantage of the renovated Oeste railway line .

Additionally, he summarises, Mafra has conditions such as a young population – of around 100 thousand inhabitants, 35% are under 30 years old, he assures –, an incubator linked to the sea, the only world surfing reserve in Europe (Ericeira), a distance of around 25 kilometres to the port of Lisbon, agricultural values ​​such as lemons, and a strong presence in transport logistics.

The aim is to establish industrial and technological companies with an export vocation. To achieve this, it is not enough to simply go and look for companies in the municipalities of Sintra or Torres Vedras.

“The aim is to set up industrial and technological companies with an export vocation. To achieve this, it is not enough to simply go and look for companies in the municipalities of Sintra or Torres Vedras”, the mayor told ECO/Local Online, on the sidelines of the Outlook Mafra conference, organised by ECO and held this Thursday.

With his eyes on the map, where the A8 and A21 highways cross the municipality, the Mayor of Mafra highlighted an area of ​​around 100 hectares where he intends to set up a business reception area that will allow companies with an export vocation to be attracted , but currently absent from the municipality. In addition, there are already expressions of interest from others that, being in Mafra, need space to grow . Examples provided by the Mayor include Movimar (a kitchen furniture manufacturer), Cubotónic (a metalworking company currently operating in Venda do Pinheiro) and Despomar, a surfing specialist with over 20 points of sale in the country.