Bid to stop free parking in estate near UL deferred

A MOVE by Limerick County Council to stop those travelling to the University of Limerick from parking in an adjacent private housing estate has been deferred following objections by local landlords.

A bylaw to introduce disc parking in College Court, which has 165 houses and 16 apartments, was due to be passed at yesterday’s meeting of the council.

However, when the meeting was told there were objectors who wanted to make their views known, the matter was adjourned.

The bylaw proposes one parking permit per house and resident homeowners in the estate support the move.

But as more than 80% of the houses in the estate are rented out to students, many of whom have cars, landlord house owners have voiced their opposition.

A survey carried out by Limerick County Council found cars are frequently parked in front lawns, double parked on the road, parked over water hydrants and on footpaths.

Cars illegally parked on the UL campus are clamped and many people using the university park in adjacent housing estates, causing continuing problems.

After a two-year consultative process, the council opted to introduce disc parking in College Court on a €2 per hour basis.

Residents will be allowed park free at any time on the basis of one car per household.

Cllr Mary Harty said: “Residents in Castle Court are in grave difficulty with regard to lack of parking facilities and the difficulty of services such as bin lorries getting access there.

“College Court is being used as a car park by people attending the university. Most of the houses are rented by students and most houses would have three or four cars attached to them. Parking has become overcrowded with people preferring to park there rather than pay to park in the university,” she said.

Ms Harty said consultations had been ongoing for over two years and after going through all the statutory processes, it was decided the best way forward was to introduce disc parking.

Due to the number of cars owned by students, she said they intended to look at the possibility of converting open areas into a car park for student car owners.

The proposal was due to be finalised at yesterday’s meeting of the council but was deferred until next Monday to give landlords opposed to the move time to make a submission.

Ms Harty said some of the owners of rented houses said they had not seen the county council’s public notices, on the issue, and have requested to meet with the council.

It was agreed at yesterday’s monthly meeting of the council, to defer the matter to a meeting of the Castleconnell area councillors next Monday.