Yahoo News Co-op Live slammed for 'taking advantage' as it charges £25 for parking
The new Co-op Live arena is under fire for hitting fans with a hefty £25 parking charge.
Nestled near the Etihad Stadium, the venue boasts just one official car park, which requires drivers to book their spot online before events. However, the steep standard fee has sparked outrage among visitors who feel they're being fleeced.
Already reeling from exorbitant food and drink prices at the arena including a Guinness for £8.95 and burgers at £11.50, people are slamming the management for exploiting them.
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A reader vented on an article about the parking fees: "Wow 25 quid for parking, £8.95 for a pint, such great Manchester value! ".
Another fan gearing up for The Killers' gig in June expressed dismay, saying: "I was shocked when I found out it's going to cost me £25 to park. It feels like they're really taking advantage of drivers when the car is really my only option of getting there."
They added: "It already costs so much to get tickets to these concerts, without having to pay so much extra on top of that."
Co-op Live hasn't had the smoothest of launches. A test event on Saturday saw its capacity dramatically cut from 11,000 to just 4,000 last-minute, leading to a scramble as VIP tickets were axed, the M.E.N reports.
The grand opening of the Co-op Live venue was postponed on Monday, pushing Peter Kay's performances from Tuesday and Wednesday next week. The delay came as the council had yet to approve the building, raising concerns among emergency services.
A spokesperson for Co-op Live described the decision as 'regrettable', stating that 'the ambition and scale of this venue is enormous' and the rescheduling 'gives us the extra time we need to continue testing thoroughly'.
Parking has already become a contentious issue. We previously reported that numerous residents near Co-op Live and the Etihad were 'incorrectly given parking tickets', leading to a 'weeks long appeals backlog'.
A new residents' parking scheme was introduced in the Eastlands area alongside the opening of the 23,500-capacity venue on Saturday, replacing an existing event-day scheme at the nearby Etihad Stadium.
The scheme was designed to prevent gig-goers and football fans from causing issues for locals by parking on residential streets. However, over the opening weekend of Co-op Live, enforcement officers issued 159 parking tickets, with residents claiming that visitors to their homes were wrongly fined.
There has also been confusion regarding the operational hours of the programme, with one councillor reporting that they were contacted by a motorist who was fined for parking across a driveway - their own driveway.
Alternative transport options to the venue include trams, buses, trains and walking as detailed here.
A representative from Co-op Live remarked: "Official off-street parking at Co-op Live is available to book no sooner than four weeks prior to the event, and our prices are in line with the wider live entertainment sector."
"We also encourage fans who are able to, to consider sustainable travel options including integrated transport tickets for fans across the Metrolink network, post-event shuttle buses, and use of the regenerated CityLink walking route."
