Liffey Valley ‘generosity has gone out the window’

STAFF in Liffey Valley Shopping Centre are planning a meeting this week, and will decide if they are to protest the proposed new parking fees at the centre.

A daily rate of €2.50 is set to be introduced for a designated staff car park on October 16.

This would work out at approximately €600 per year for staff who drive and work fulltime.

Meanwhile, customers face a €2.50 charge for the first hour, and the next two hours free.

The measures are attributed by the centre to it’s €30m works programme which will facilitate the new BusConnects interchange in the carpark, and the national sustainability agenda.

However, it is unclear how many parking space will be available for staff in a designated car park, understood to be located behind Penney’s.

At the September meeting of the Lucan/Palmerstown/North Clondalkin Area Committee in South Dublin County Council, members voted unanimously to write a letter to Liffey Valley asking them to reverse the decision.

The motion, which was proposed by Cllr Madeleine Johansson (PBP), expressed the disappointment of the local councillors with the decision by Liffey Valley.

Cllr Johansson said: “Retail workers are some of the lowest paid workers in the country and the proposed car parking charges amounts to a significant pay cut for workers. Councillors were shocked by the decision by the centre to charge staff for parking.

“The owners and management of Liffey Valley made all sorts of promises to support the local community when they wanted councillors to re-zone their land last year. It seems that their generosity has gone out the window.”