Dubai: Visitors to Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), where available parking is increasingly being reserved, will from June onwards be able to park for free in a new area — opposite clusters W, V and Y.

The new longer-term parking area, next to Carrefour supermarket, is being made available even as more parking barriers come down in JLT clusters this summer.

The barriers are already in place in 15 clusters — B, D, A, M, N, G, S, J, H, I, Q, X, U, Y and V.

JLT is a 200-hectare community of over 55,000 people working and living in 65 commercial and residential towers, which includes more than 180 retail outlets and six manmade lakes.

Developer Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) has said it started activating the barriers in September 2012 as sub-developers have acquired rights to parking facilities.

The sub-developers passed on those rights to unit owners who can use, rent or sell the parking spaces. The number of spaces allocated depends “entirely on the unit owner’s purchase agreement with their sub-developer”, DMCC said in a statement.

That had led to some tenants fearing they will be charged higher rates than elsewhere in the city controlled by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

And though there were earlier no parking restrictions, visitors to JLT will have to pay for parking after DMCC completes the parking barrier activation in all clusters. Those rates have not yet been revealed officially, though they could be different from RTA public parking charges.

Meanwhile, the current JLT parking system means visitors can only park for free for two hours in select areas — mostly the Retail Parking concourse level of DMCC parking garages.

Those overshooting the time limit where the barriers are activated can be fined Dh200 in some cases, an earlier notice had said. However, those producing a stamped bill from certain outlets and services can park for four hours, the notice had added.

“Cars parked for more than eight hours will be notified to the police and vehicles may be removed. Violators will be suspended from accessing JLT parking resources and retail parking areas,” it read.

Visitors and residents can also park for free in longer-term areas in between clusters, the latest such area made available actually siting opposite clusters W, V, and Y.

But a paid parking system is expected to eventually take over all currently free areas.

DMCC has also introduced a Parking Permit option which gives permit holders access to DMCC-retained parking spaces in the garages at a price — Dh4,500 per year, Dh2,500 for six months, and Dh1,500 for three.

“The parking permit scheme is an alternative solution for owners, tenants and businesses that wish to lease additional parking spaces,” it said in a statement.

“The installation of parking barriers across JLT is part of DMCC’s commitment to sub-developers who have acquired the rights to parking facilities according to international urban planning guidelines, and subsequently passed them on to unit purchasers.

“It is to ensure that those people who have purchased the rights to allocated parking spaces can park their vehicles, sell or lease their spaces.”