Competition looks set to intensify among the various car parks surrounding Dublin Airport with developer Gerry Gannon lodging a planning application for a new facility with 2,745 spaces.
The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), which depends heavily on income from its car parks and retail concessions, is facing increasing rivalry from privately owned car parks on lands surrounding the airport.
Quick Park, which sits on land owned by Mr Gannon, already offers 3,500 spaces. However in the last year this car park has - at peak times - run out of space and it no longer accepts advance bookings on the internet. Instead customers are advised to ring ahead to find out if space is available.
According to a planning application submitted by Mr Gannon to Fingal County Council, the new car park at Turnapin Great, Swords Road will have internal roads and bus shelters with room for 2,745 cars. The new facility is believed to be situated close to the existing Quick Park facility.
The planning application could face objections. Some previous applications drew objections from Aer Rianta, now known as the Dublin Airport Authority. Also the Royal College of Surgeons failed in a bid two years ago to build an airport car park on lands it owns in the area.
Several residents' groups in the area also oppose anything that might add to congestion.
The airport is scheduled to greatly expand in coming years with a new Pier D facility and a second terminal. The former is currently under construction, with the latter at the early stages of the planning process.
At present, Quick Park, which is operated by John O'Sullivan, founder of the Aircoach bus service, charges €1 per hour or €6 per day. The DAA long-term car park charges €8.50 per day, or €3 an hour in its short term facility.
While the growth of Quick Park and its competitive pricing has given the DAA a certain level of competition, the DAA's own car parks remain much larger.
While it only has 3,600 short term spaces, it has 14,400 long term spaces.
In recent years, because of the level of demand, it has also encountered difficulties accommodating demand at certain peak periods.
