Navan shopping centre car park operator says operating costs and major capital projects necessiate price increase

Shoppers using the multi-storey car parks at Navan Town Centre are facing another increase with charges set to rise by 20 per cent from next Monday.

Euro Car Parks, which runs the car park, have erected signs to advise shoppers that hourly parking charges will rise from €2 per hour to €2.20 per hour from 19th October.

It follows a hefty hike in charges in April 2024 which saw prices increase from €1.50 per hour to €2 per hour to fund capital investment at the car park including a new barrier system.

News of the latest increase has not gone down well with shoppers, with the move has been strongly criticised on social media with several posters warning that it will drive more people to use Blanchardstown Shopping Centre.

Euro Car Parks which took over management of the car park in April 2023 and which is independent of the shopping centre, says the increase is required due to increased operating costs and to help fund major capital projects that need to be completed in the car park including new lighting and a new CCTV system.

David Cullen Managing Director of Euro Car Parks outlined two reasons for the increase- one being an increase in operating costs particularly labour costs which he said had risen by 10 per cent in the past two years and the second being planned investments.

He explained the car park is quite old, and before they took over in April 2023, it had been in receivership and NAMA for about a decade and nothing had been spent on it. The barrier system was replaced at a cost of €750,000 and next for upgrade is the lighting and CCTV system. He said the CCTV and lamps are failing and that these were not discretionary projects and have to be done.

Mr Cullen outlined they are about to go to tender next week for the 'relamping', replacing the old fluorescent lights and that indicative quotes are coming in around just under €1 million.

"Unfortunately for the person parking there, they aren't going to see an awful lot but it has got to be done and paid for."

Resurfacing is planned but Mr Cullen said engineers had come back saying it is not as urgent as they thought and that the relamping and CCTV are "more urgent" than a nice resurface so they had shuffled the order of the works around.

"Now that's not to say that we're going to be jacking up the price every year either to pay for it, but this increase will cover the CCTV probably and the increased operating costs. That will be about it. The relamping, it will take a few years for that to be repaid. But also the relamping will be more energy efficient than the old fluorescent tubes. So it a case of working it in, we're conscious we don't want to damage the shopping centre either.

"We're conscious it's a 20 per cent increase, but similarly conscious it's only 20 cents. The average regional shopping centre car park price is €2.20. I'm doing two at the moment where they going from €2 to €2.20. So it's in line with what's happening around the country.”

When asked about the number of cars parking in the car park on a weekly basis he said he was not allowed to say and he had a non-disclosure agreement with the owners and its commercially sensitive.

Locals have reacted angrily to the increase on social media with several warning it will lead to people going elsewhere to shop.

One poster commented: "There won't be many shopping there much longer when you can shop in Blanchardstown for free. It is going to destroy the shopping centre"

Another said: "Just in time to take advantage of the Christmas trade. Shoppers will go where there is free parking," said another comment.

"People should just boycott the carpark. They will just keep putting the charges up if people still pay. I definitely won’t be heading to the carpark now. Liffey Valley charge €2.50 for the first three hours of parking. That's what it should be like in Navan car park. It's just greed."

"Its getting to be a joke. Easier to tip up to Blanchardstown. Free parking, no rushing around to be out within the hour."

Another urged people to continue to support local businesses: " If we don’t businesses will close. Regardless of the parking situation. You all gave out when it went up to €2 an hour and got used to it fairly quickly. The carpark fills up pretty early."