Shannon Group’s drive to provide new facilities capable of attracting major investment and jobs to the region will gain significant momentum in the autumn when construction gets under way on the first new office block in a wider development programme at the 600-acre site.

The group’s property wing, Shannon Commercial Properties, has lodged a planning application for the construction of a €8 million four-storey, 55,000sq ft landmark office block at the airport entrance to Shannon Free Zone West.

It will be the largest investment project and the first new office block by the company as part of its wider five-year €21 million redevelopment programme.

Demolition of three former manufacturing buildings extending to 300,000sq ft has already taken place, paving the way for the new build and subsequent investments.

The new office block will be multi-functional and adaptable to modern business requirements, and can be used for large single-tenancy requirements or subdivided for multiple tenancies.

The project falls under Shannon Commercial Properties’s master plan for the redevelopment of the oldest areas of Shannon Free Zone.

This is designed to create new offices, warehousing and manufacturing property solutions at the business park for both indigenous and international companies.