You can appeal a parking charge notice if you are the registered keeper of the vehicle, but were not driving it the day the parking charge notice was issued. This is because the Protection of Freedoms Act (PoFA) does not apply in Northern Ireland, unlike England and Wales.
As the registered keeper of the vehicle, you can appeal the PCN by asking the parking operator to provide evidence that you were driving on the date of the alleged breach, if no evidence exists, the PCN can be cancelled.
Each parking operator offers different ways to appeal, so check the letter you have received for details.
Keep the letter you have received for your records.
Use our template letter to appeal either online, via email, or via letter.
If appealing online, do not provide any other information than what is already detailed on the PCN letter. Do not provide a telephone number as this is not necessary for your appeal. An email address is only necessary if you are appealing online or via email.
When providing your personal details, copy the information exactly as it is detailed on the PCN letter.
If you are appealing the PCN via post, make sure you reference your PCN number and vehicle registration, using the suggested wording provided.
The parking operator has up to 35 working days to issue a response to your appeal, as per the British Parking Association’s (BPA) Code of Practice.
Please be advised that not all parking operators will accept our appeal template. If the parking operator has sufficient evidence to prove that the registered keeper was driving the car at the time of issue, then they may decide to uphold the PCN and pursue the charges via Debt Recovery or court action.
Appeal by post by sending a letter to:
Smart Parking Limited
Unit 43, Elmdon Trading Estate,
Bickenhill Lane,
Birmingham, B37 7HE
Appeal online by visiting the Smart Parking website.
Appeal by post by sending a letter to:
Civil Enforcement Limited
Horton House, Exchange Flags,
Liverpool, L2 3PF
Appeal online by visiting the Civil Enforcement Limited website.
Appeal by post by sending a letter to:
Horizon Parking Ltd
Finitor House,
2 Hanbury Road,
Chelmsford, CM1 3AE
Appeal online by visiting the Horizon Parking website.
Appeal by post by sending a letter to:
Euro Car Parks
30 Dorset Square
London
NW1 6QJ
Appeal online by visiting Euro Car Parks website.
Appeal by post by sending a letter to:
APCOA PARKING (UK) LTD
Wellington House
4-10 Cowley Road
Uxbridge
UB8 2XW
Appeal online by visiting APCOA's website.
Appeal by post by sending a letter to:
Park Maven
Kemp House 160,
City Road,
London, EC1V 2NX
Appeal online by visiting Park Maven's website.
Appeal by post by sending a letter to:
Car Park Services
36 Great Patrick St,
Belfast, BT1 2LT
Appeal online by visiting Car Park Services.
You can appeal the parking charge notice if you were driving the vehicle, but believe it was issued incorrectly or extenuating circumstances are involved. For example, if signs were broken or damaged in the carpark, an error with the car park's cameras, receiving a PCN for parking in a disabled bay despite having a valid blue badge, or you are an employee within the grounds of the car park.
All parking companies that are a member of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA), such as the British Parking Association (BPA) or International Parking Community (IPC) will have a Code of Practice that they must adhere to. The Code of Practice will include guidelines for the parking operator on areas such as signage, ANPR cameras and issuing PCN letters. If you feel that the PCN has been issued unfairly or that there is an issue with regards to the signage, it is always beneficial to check the Code of Practice to see what the rules are and if the parking operator has followed them.
For more information on the ATA’s and its Code of Practice, just click on the links below:
Click here to read the British Parking Association (BPA) Code of Practice.
Click here to read the International Parking Community (IPC) Code of Practice.
If you want to appeal a PCN due to extenuating circumstances such as signage, issues with cameras or if you received a PCN for parking in a disabled bay despite having a blue badge etc, it is also useful to gather as much evidence as you can to support your appeal. For example, if you believe that the signage does not comply with the ATA’s minimum standards or that the wording was misleading or unclear, then take photographs of the signs to include in your appeal.
If you are an employee at a site that has a privately managed car park, you should be on an exemption list to prevent you from receiving a PCN. You should speak to your employer about this and ensure that they have your vehicle registration so it can be passed to the parking operator and added to the exemption list. If you get a PCN despite being on the exemption list, raise this with your employer as they may be in a position to appeal the PCN on your behalf. If you can provide evidence of your employment and the dates and hours worked, this will support your appeal.
If you have already raised an appeal with the parking operator and your appeal has been rejected, you may be able to escalate your appeal to the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) body or depending on your circumstances, we may be able to assist you in making a further appeal to the parking operator or the landowner.
Contact us on 0800 121 6022 or via email to contact@consumercouncil.org.uk to get advice specific to your case and the options available to you.
If you are escalating your appeal to POPLA, you only have 28 days from the date on the operator’s rejection letter to make the appeal. You will be given a 10 digit verification code by the parking operator, you must use this when making your appeal to POPLA.
It is free to contact POPLA and this can be done via its website or in writing to the following address:
POPLA,
PO Box 1270,
Warrington,
WA4 9RL
We recommend you visit the POPLA website in advance of making your appeal as it has lots of useful information and a specific guide on submitting an appeal.
Visit POPLA's website.
If you need specific help with a Private Parking Charge Notice, for example if you are a blue badge holder, contact us on 0800 121 6022 or email contact@consumercouncil.org.uk including a copy of the PCN letter and information about your query.