With extensive experience in the Iberian industrial and logistics sector, the Spanish property management firm Spinnia is investing heavily in Santarém, following the acquisition of a 195,000 sqm plot strategically located next to the A1 motorway. According to information provided to Iberian Property by Spinnia, “the site offers significant development potential, with the capacity to accommodate approximately 85,000 sqm of built-up area, intended for a state-of-the-art logistics project or, alternatively, for other strategic uses, such as a data centre facility”.
The same source emphasised that the fact the site is classified as an ‘Industrial Area’ in Santarém’s Municipal Development Plan provides “a solid urban planning framework for its development, thereby avoiding the reclassification processes associated with other unconsolidated plots”.
“The configuration of the site is also a distinguishing feature of the project,” emphasised Spinnia, explaining that it has a natural gradient of less than 2%, which facilitates the establishment of a large-scale logistics platform and allows for the optimisation of earthworks through cut-and-fill engineering solutions, minimising the need to remove or bring in soil from outside the plot.
Furthermore, it also highlighted that “in addition to its logistics potential, the asset offers a high degree of flexibility and scope for development, enabling it to meet the growing demand for modern logistics facilities or, alternatively, to accommodate data centre infrastructure. This duality allows Spinnia to explore different avenues for creating value and to adapt its development strategy to market conditions and opportunities”.
In this context, “Spinnia is moving forward in parallel on both development tracks, maintaining active discussions with developers, operators and other specialist stakeholders from both sectors, with the aim of identifying the option that will maximise the asset’s potential and value”, said Joan Vidiella, managing partner at Spinnia.
Since the acquisition, Spinnia has been carrying out the technical work, preparatory tasks and due diligence necessary to bring the asset into optimal condition for its development. As part of this process, a PIP (Request for Preliminary Information) has already been submitted to the Santarém local authority; this is currently under review by the council and the management company estimates that approval should be granted in the coming weeks. At the same time, the company has also initiated the necessary procedures to secure, as a first step, an electricity capacity of up to 20 MW – a key infrastructure element for positioning the site with a view to the potential development of a data centre. Progress in this area reinforces the asset’s flexibility and its appeal to operators and investors specialising in digital infrastructure.
According to Joan Vidiella, “this opportunity forms part of the dynamic data centre infrastructure market in the Lisbon region, one of the sector’s main growth hubs in Portugal, and offers particularly attractive features for the development of large-scale technology infrastructure. The project thus reinforces Spinnia’s strategy of identifying and developing assets with high potential for transformation and multiple uses, combining a strategic location, a solid urban planning framework and access to essential infrastructure to meet the evolving demand for property and technology in Portugal”.
