How paid-for Trafford Centre Premium Parking will work - everything we know so far
The Trafford Centre is introducing a paid-for parking area for the first time - to appeal to 'premium shoppers' heading to Selfridges and other stores inside the mall - and the plans have sparked plenty of debate among M.E.N readers. The Premium Parking area is currently under construction at the Upper Peel 5 car park.
The signs have already gone up, but the entry barriers are not yet in operation. The Trafford Centre say they will 'announce soon' more details of how the system will operate, how much it will cost and when it will all go live.
Since our article at the weekend, there has been plenty of comments from MEN readers about the plans, and lots of questions too about how it will all work. So here's everything we know so far about the plan.
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The transformation of the car park, next to the Selfridges entrance on Upper Peel 5, is already well underway - it has been resurfaced and re-lined over the past few months. The new Premium Parking area includes much wider spaces which are to accommodate 'larger vehicles and family cars', said to reflect the needs of 'premium shoppers"' heading into the centre.
This means the overall number of spaces in the area has reduced to cope with the bigger spaces - down from 247 to 199. The Premium Parking area is in one half of the Upper Peel 5 car park - the section on the Selfridges side.
Works are currently underway on the opposite side of the Upper Peel car park, but the Trafford Centre has confirmed this is part of the wider 'extensive refurbishment and improvement works' of the car parks across the site, and this section will NOT be part of the paid-for scheme.
The Premium Parking side has now reopened to vehicles - although charges do not yet apply to people parking there. The signs for 'Trafford Centre Premium Parking' have also been installed on the road into the area ready for the service to begin.
Traffic cones are currently on the bollard entrance that has been erected where it is thought the pay-for entrance points are set to be installed. A canopy is also set to be installed on one section - to cover cars that opt for a valet service as part of their stay in Premium Parking - to keep them safe from 'rain and birds'.
Since we reported on the parking plan, many readers have posted comments worrying that this could be the 'next step' to further paid-for parking across the shopping mall's sprawling estate which boasts 11,500 free spaces.
We put this question directly to the Trafford Centre, to which a spokesperson replied: "There are no plans for further parking charges to be rolled out across the centre’s other car parks."
How much will Premium Parking cost?
Trafford Centre bosses have not yet revealed how much it will cost to park there, and when payments will begin. But once operational, shoppers will be able to pre-book spaces online before they visit to guarantee a spot.
According to the original planning application, there will also be a kiosk and a couple of electronic payment points which suggest you will also be able to pay on the day.
A Trafford Centre spokesperson said: "We look forward to sharing how the new services will operate in due course, the services have been designed with our guests’ convenience in mind and will adopt the latest in parking technology to provide the best service.
They added: "Premium Parking will provide shoppers with enhanced convenience and services. It will be open in line with the opening hours of Trafford Centre as a whole and the service will be pre-bookable on our website.
"Details regarding the service and timing of the launch will be announced soon."
Looking further afield at how similar shopping centres have done it, Cheshire Oaks Outlet Mall in Cheshire has a Premium Parking area, where shoppers can park close to the designer stores for a full day priced at £7.50. Premium Parking there also includes a concierge service where all your shopping bags can be taken from stores back to your car for you at the end of a busy day shopping, included in the price.
Who are 'premium shoppers' and who will be able to park there?
While much has been made of the fact that the Premium Parking plan is to appeal to 'Selfridges customers and other premium shoppers', it will ultimately be open to anyone who is happy to pay to park there.
The original plans state that they aim to appeal to ALL premium shoppers, not just those going to Selfridges. As to what a 'premium shopper' is, it's safe to assume it's someone who spends more than a few quid when they head inside the mall.
When asked about who will be able to use Premium Parking, a Trafford Centre spokesperson said: "Our new services will be available to all customers visiting Trafford Centre to further improve our guest experience for every visitor."
The plans themselves were submitted by The Trafford Centre, not Selfridges. We have approached Selfridges about the plans and they have declined to comment.
When were plans first approved and what did they say?
The Trafford Centre first submitted its car park plans back in March, and these were approved by Trafford Council on May 20, 2024. No objections were made by any parties when the application was first made.
In the original application it was said to be part of the Trafford Centre's plans to attract 'premium shoppers' and support its 'high quality stores'.
Explaining the need for the new Premium Parking site, it said: "The site lies to the east of the existing Selfridges store and the need for the proposals has arisen to provide a facility and offer that is present at Selfridges' other stores around the country. Selfridges only have four stores in the UK with two of these being located in Greater Manchester and the Trafford Centre being the only out-of-town regional shopping centre to accommodate a Selfridges store.
"Selfridges are the premium UK department store and their presence at the Trafford Centre is crucial in supporting the high quality of occupiers the centre offers. Providing the premium parking facility to meet the expectations of Selfridges and other premium shoppers at the centre is therefore an important part of the Trafford Centre's continued evolution and success."
As we've previously reported, the plans approved have seen the number of spaces on the car park slashed - to allow bigger bay sizes of 3m by 5m wide (up from the original size of 2.4m x 5.0m). This is to 'accommodate luxury and family sized vehicles'.
Once complete, the area will also include some electric car charging points, plus disabled parking bays too.
The plans stated that when the Premium Parking is up and running, it will be operated by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) electronic barriers, but didn't confirm how payments will be made by customers or how much it will cost to park there.
Who will operate the Premium Parking?
The application states that H20, who currently operate the car wash facility in the Lower Peel 4 car park, will operate the Premium Parking site. No new car washing facilities are proposed, but there will be H20 employees located in the office kiosk to greet customers and, if they wish to have their car valeted, drive the customer's car down to the existing facility.
It says that once cleaned, the car will be returned to the Upper Level and parked under a soon-to-be installed canopy to 'protect cleaned cars from the rain and from birds'.
The application states that H20 envisage the proposals will result in the creation of a minimum of five full time additional jobs.
Where is the Premium Parking?
The Upper Peel 5 Car Park leads to two pedestrian entrances into the Trafford Centre. The Premium Parking has been located next to the doorway which leads through to Selfridges.
The other entrance on the opposite side of the car park leads to the large covered tunnel across to Trafford Palazzo in one direction, and inside to the Peel Avenue end of the mall where Boots and John Lewis are located to the other.
Digital screens are set to be erected on the way into the car park off Peel Circle. This will direct premium parking customers to the correct lane to the upper level and 'confirm when the facility is full.'
Is parking still free at other sites?
The Trafford Centre has previously offered all free parking across its sprawling sites.
Currently, Upper Peel 5 is still free to use and payments will only be introduced once the full Premium Parking scheme is up and running.
A spokesperson said: "We are continuing refurbishment works in our Peel Avenue Multi-Story but all available spaces are free to use. We are sorry for any inconvenience for temporary closures as a result of our extensive refurbishment and improvement works."
And, just to confirm, they also added: ""There are no plans for further parking charges to be rolled out across the centre’s other car parks."