The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has said it has been notified of Dublin Airport owner daa's plans to buy the site of the former privately run car park near the airport.
The site is currently owned by property developer Gerry Gannon, whose debts are controlled by Nama.
Situated on the Swords Road in Santry, the 42 acres of land was run for many years as a 6,122 space car park by John O’Sullivan’s QuickPark through a firm called ParkFly.
The property then became the subject of a legal dispute between Mr Gannon and Parkfly, as well as another company controlled by Mr O’Sullivan.
The car park closed in 2019 but came on the market last year with a guide price of €70m.
The airport operator was made preferred bidder last autumn, although daa has declined to say what it is proposing to pay for the carpark.
Daa already operates a number of large car parks in the vicinity of Dublin airport.
At an Oireachtas committee hearing in January, Senator Gerard Craughwell said he had raised the issue of daa bidding for the former QuickPark facility with the CCPC.
He said he did not think it was right that the daa should have all the car parking within the confines of the airport.
He added that it was his understanding that there had been five or six entities interested in the property and that daa had been the lowest bidder.
Car parking space has been in shorter supply around peak times since the QuickPark facility closed.
At the committee hearing in January, Dublin Airport managing director said he was hopeful that the car park would be available to passengers by next summer.
