Oliva to become a student town

In a giant leap for the town's national profile, Oliva has been chosen for a new headquarters of Valencia Polytechnic, supporting the university's campus in nearby Gandia.

La Safor area's southernmost town will not be a college or campus in itself, but will be a subsidiary centre for seminars, lectures and conferences, as well as a project centre to back up research and improvement of academic training, which takes place in the district capital, eight kilometres away.

Oliva's branch will help launch and widen the scope of student exchanges and interactions between the Polytechnic's three centres – not just academic, but also science, sports, and music and other cultural activities. Mayor David González and education councillor María José Llorens have only just closed the deal with bosses at the Gandia campus, so it is not yet known where the Oliva headquarters will be located, although an existing local authority-owned building is likely to be renovated for the purpose.