SUNSHINE Plaza has announced when paid parking will start and how the Smart Park system will work.

Plaza management announced today that  the Smart Park arrives on November 1, a system described as "a new managed parking system based on licence plate recognition, allowing customers to enter and exit the centre without the need of a ticket."

The announcement reads:

"Sunshine Plaza is set to grow from 73,000sq m to over 107,000sqm, with a new David Jones department store, a new BIG W and over 100 specialty stores.

"The centre is also adding over 1400 car spaces as part of the $400 million redevelopment, taking the total number of car spaces at Sunshine Plaza to nearly 5000.

"Smart Park will initially be introduced to the southern car parks and will roll out to all other car parks as the redevelopment work progress. Any parking that is not immediately part of the managed parking system will continue to be regulated, as indicated by signage.

Parking will be FREE* for customers who:

• Park for 3 hours or less
• Spend over $150* per visit and validate with Customer Service
• Enter the centre after 6pm
• Have an authorised disabled parking permit*

Cinema visitors will be able to validate a fourth hour of free* parking when purchasing a cinema ticket.

Customers who have stayed more than 3 hours in the centre (and aren't able to claim additional free* parking) will incur a fee. Parking costs will start at $2 for the first 30 minutes.

Parking Rates

• Up to 3 hours  FREE
• 3 - 3.5 hours  $2
• 3.5 - 4 hours  $3
• 4 - 4.5 hours  $4
• 4.5 - 5 hours  $6
• 5 - 5.5 hours  $8
• 5.5 - 6 hours  $10
• 6 - 6.5 hours  $12
• 6.5 - 7 hours  $15
• Over 7 hours  $20
• Maximum Daily Rate  $20

For the most convenient way to pay, customers are encouraged to register their vehicle rego number and credit or debit card details at parking.sunshineplaza.com