"We set out to identify Ireland's best retail parks and a key determinant of this was the current footfall levels being generated by the parks versus current market rent, " he says.

"While there were a few parks which recorded higher average footfall levels, Childers Road is delivering excellent footfall levels at a reasonable cost. The fact that Dunnes Stores anchors the development was a big help and certainly added greatly to footfall activity."

CREST's David Fitzsimons says the survey results will be a big fillip for the county. "Limerick has been through a difficult trading period recently.

All five shopping centres reviewed in the county recently dropped down the top 50 shopping centre table, while Cruises Street recorded average footfall levels in the high street review. It is great to see some good trading news come out of the county and the Childers Road Retail Park deserves congratulations."

Commenting on the report's general findings, Fitzsimons says "footfall levels recorded across the 30 parks surveyed demonstrate some mixed performances. The busiest park recorded an average 776 customers per hour while the quietest recorded 88. That is some difference and proves that retailers must choose carefully when signing new locations. Vacancy is also a key performance issue. This report highlighted that the current vacancy level amongst the top 30 parks stands at 12.5%. This is a relatively strong rate of occupancy as many of the parks listed are new or are involved in the development of additional phases."

However Fitzsimons does add a word of caution. "It is also important that retailers continue to be careful and look for schemes that have good catchments, are well anchored and are priced at a cost that reflects the local market."

Other star performers in the survey were Manor West Retail Park in Tralee which also recorded exceptional footfall levels, perhaps due to the fact that the Rose of Tralee festival was hosted during the research period, and Coolock Retail Park in Dublin which demonstrated strong footfall versus rent numbers and a zero vacancy rate.