In Howth, council plans to charge for parking on Harbour Road

Fingal County Council is planning to charge people who want to park on Howth’s Harbour Road, and limit how long they can leave their cars there. 

The road connects the Dart station, the harbour, and some of the area’s busiest restaurants and cafés. 

The spots are in high demand, especially on weekends and during the summer – with tourists walking the cliff walk, swimmers, people working in local businesses, residents leaving their cars to commute into the city by Dart.

“There’s experience of long-stay parking in the area, which reduces availability,” said council administrative officer Niamh Russell.

That increases congestion on the road, as drivers circle and circle, looking for a spot, Russell said, at the Howth/Malahide area committee meeting on 4 March.

The council wants to encourage shorter stays in the spots, Russell said in her presentation to the committee on the proposed changes.

So they’re bringing in a charge of €1.70 per hour, with a maximum stay of three hours, Russell said.

The proposal would apply to around 150 on-street car-parking spaces along this stretch, which are currently free to park in.

Reactions at the meeting

Councillors at the committee meeting on 4 March said they broadly supported the idea, albeit with various reservations.

“Look, I think the logic is strong,” said Labour Party Councillor Brian McDonagh. 

Fine Gael Councillor Aoibhinn Tormey said she was against the idea of introducing paid parking along Harbour Road when it first came up, “I think it was 2019, or something.”

But, she said, her views have changed in the years since. Because of “just how chaotic things are”, Tormey said. “And it will probably just get worse.”

Tormey, McDonagh, and other councillors, did also bring up potential knock-on effects if they don’t get it right. 

Will people just park elsewhere, where it’s still free, and there aren’t time limits, and parking wardens? 

Independent Councillor Jimmy Guerin said he was “slightly disappointed that we couldn't have gone further up to the village”.

“[It] could create havoc in the village with the early morning parkers who avail of the Dart,” Guerin said. 

Green Party Councillor David Healy also questioned how the changes on Harbour Road might affect neighbouring areas – but from a different angle. 

Some nearby streets, like Church Street and Abbey Street, don’t have much parking, Healy said. “And I have no doubt that some of them park on Harbour Road.” 

Would those residents be able to qualify for a permit to park on Harbour Road? No, Russell said, only residents of Harbour Road would qualify for a permit to park there.

Another sticking point was the three-hour limit. 

Multiple councillors asked if some spaces could be designated to allow for longer stays.

“A standard visit to Howth is a walk around the harbor or a walk up the hill, and then often a meal afterwards. I’m not sure that three hours covers that,” said Fianna Fáil Councillor Cathal Haughey.

For people who need to park for longer than three hours, there are other places to go, Russell said. 

“At the moment, you can park in any of the harbour car parks, and we have Balscadden Car Park, which is also free of charge at the moment,” she said.

It’s the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that’s responsible for the harbour car parks, said Fingal Director of Operations Mary T. Daly.

Daly said she had been in touch with the department, asking about their plans for those car parks – but hasn’t heard back. 

She said she’d follow up, letting them know the council is proceeding with this new paid parking.

“I was very straight with the Department of Marine,” Daly said. “I'm not going to have my hands tied and not introduce paid parking in Howth because the Department of Marine aren't charging for parking.” 

As for the Balscadden car park in Howth, the council last year proposed charging for parking there – among other coastal car parks – but after a flood of objections, backed away from that idea.

Next steps

At the meeting, councillors were only asked to “note” the proposal to charge for car parking on Harbour Road, and limit stays there to three hours, which they did. 

The next step is a public consultation, Russell told the committee. As well as consultation with the department, the harbourmaster, and local businesses.

Then the plan is to install parking meters along Harbour Road, and keep an eye on whether the changes have the intended effects, her presentation said.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme.