Pay parking zones in Louth could be extended in new year review

By Olivia Ryan, The Drogheda Independent

No decision on whether Louth’s Christmas shoppers will benefit from a half price pay parking scheme this December has yet been made, Louth County Council confirmed.

Councillors were told they can consider future changes to the cost of pay parking at the October meeting of Dundalk Municipal District, as discussions over the 2026 budget begin to take shape..

Although councillors did not decide on increasing or decreasing overall pay parking costs, Cllr. Antoin Watters asked if the annual ‘Shop Local’ scheme is being rolled out again this year.

The scheme has seen half price pay parking in both Dundalk and Drogheda during the month of December for the last number of years.

Bernie Watters, Director of Service at Louth County Council, confirmed that no decision has been made on the scheme.

Meanwhile, Cllr. Ciaran Fisher asked the council to initiate a review of the existing pay parking areas in Dundalk.

In a written motion, he explained that the purpose of the review is “to assess potential expansions of the pay parking area, and to reduce the pressure on peripheral areas which report parking issues, while ensuring sustainable and equitable parking management.”

He added that the review should consider increasing provision for employee parking to address the needs of local workers and reduce congestion in core areas.

In particular there is a need, he said, to look at the practice of parking on the fringes of existing pay parking areas, which causes problems in areas like Seatown.

He called for the “introduction of tiered parking rates, with lower rates applied in peripheral zones as distance from town centre to encourage balanced usage” and “variable lower rates based on street specific circumstances, such as streets without residential houses, or sections of streets adjacent to walls with no houses, to minimize impacts on non-residential areas.”

Cllr. Fisher said the review should also consider “integration of relevant proposals from Ireland’s Active Travel programme, which aims to promote walking and cycling for improve public health, environmental protection and urban liveability.”

He said that, when completed, “any recommended expansions, rate adjustments or other changes to pay parking areas should be presented to the council for approval on a street by street basis, allowing members to vote individually on each proposed street or zone.”

Director of Service, Bernie Woods, confirmed that a full review of all pay parking areas across Louth will be taken in 2026.