Parking fees are to be introduced at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in west Dublin just in time for Christmas with many shoppers likely to be out of pocket by more than €5 each time they visit the centre.
A charge of €2.50 will be applied to shoppers for the first hour of parking with a further two hours incurring no charges.
After the first three hours, the hourly rate of €2.50 kicks in again.
The operators of the centre did say that there would be a cap on the parking fees though what that cap will be has yet to be decided.
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There are more than 100 shops employing more than 1,000 people at the centre and the new charge is likely to be greeted with some dismay by both visitors to the centre and staff, who will also have to pay fees, although they are not likely to be at the same level as shoppers.
While the charges are being rolled out in a period of high inflation, the operator of the centre has been keen to highlight the benefits of the changes rather than the impact on its customers’ pockets.
With more than 3,000 parking spaces at the centre, the charges will be a significant revenue generator, particularly at busy times but Hines — the company that runs the centre — said they were being introduced to grow “new and more sustainable ways to access Liffey Valley”.
It said it was following guidance from South Dublin County Council, which mandated that paid-for parking should be rolled out in tandem with a major development at the shopping centre as well as the introduction of the BusConnects interchange which is set to open next year.
The statement said the interchange would “introduce direct-to-the-door public-transport opportunities and increase connectivity to the centre by an estimated 50 per cent, according to the National Transport Authority. This is due to open in early 2023.”
It added that a “major refurbishment of the main car park will make the parking experience easier, safer and less stressful for visitors”. The car park will be resurfaced, realigned and landscaped and new lighting and walkways are being installed throughout.
Hines Ireland said the changes were long overdue.
“For some time, customers and staff have been telling us parking is an issue at Liffey Valley and this programme of extensive works aims to resolve that. Visitor and staff access to Liffey Valley Shopping Centre is going to change very much for the better and with more integrated public-transport access, it will be a much easier, safer and less stressful journey coming here,” it added.
