SHANNON company Atlantic Aviation Group has announced it will be developing accommodation for its staff at the former Jamaica Inn in Sixmilebridge.
Rental accommodation for the company’s workers will be provided in what will be a purpose-built co-living development, and AAG has it has taken the step ” in response to the difficulties its workers have had in finding housing in the region.”
A subsidiary of AAG purchased the property and it will be repurposed as staff accommodation with the company saying it is “to give newly hired employees a chance to settle into their new roles without the immediate headache of finding a home”.
The development will have approximately 36 en-suite bedrooms for the staff, with shared relaxation areas, living rooms, communal kitchens and garden areas.
AAG now employs more than 750 people, but says it has found it difficult to recruit staff due to the lack of accommodation in the area. It expects the new development will reduce the pressure on new staff to find housing in the short and medium term.
Commenting on the company’s plans to help employees find housing, AAG owner and chairman Patrick Jordan, who acquired the company in April 2015, said:“Like all employers, I and the AAG leadership team have observed and shared the journey that our people take to find suitable housing and accommodation. In the current market, that has proved to be a somewhat frustrating experience, with a scarcity of accommodation and high rent levels.
“In providing rental accommodation for our new hires who need somewhere to live, we are giving our people the best possible chance to settle into their new roles right away and familiarise themselves with more long-term housing options. We are excited to be able to make this positive contribution and assist with accommodation.”
AAG CEO Shane O’Neill said: “We pride ourselves in offering innovative solutions for our clients and we also pride ourselves in looking after our people. Employees everywhere are struggling to find accommodation and this is our way of assisting our employees to find their feet as they start into their roles. The accommodation is not intended as a long-term solution but will prove invaluable in its role in giving employees a housing option when they start.”
The staff accommodation projec s being designed by O’Neill O’Malley Architecture. It will be built by Limerick-based construction company LyMar Contracts Ltd.
Aitch Sky Holdings, a subsidiary of AAG, is overseeing the project.
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.