Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Private parking tickets => Topic started by: rln74 on March 12, 2026, 03:46:57 pm
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To help us provide the best advice, please read the following thread carefully and provide as much of the information it asks for as you are able to: READ THIS FIRST - Private Parking Charges Forum guide (https://www.ftla.uk/private-parking-tickets/read-this-first-private-parking-charges-forum-guide/)
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Hi,
I'm the registered keeper of a vehicle that received a PCN. I want to contest it and want a sense check before sending to Smart Parking.
The car park is for an England-based gym managed by Smart Parking. There are two sides to this car park, one gym-owned and the other by another private company. When you visit the gym you validate your parking by entering your reg on the relevant ipad for the side you parked on within 15 minutes of entering the car park. You are then entitled to 2hrs parking.
The PCN is claiming the vehicle overstayed and parked for 7 days. Gym attendance and Google timeline shows "the driver" went 4 times in the 7 days they claim the vehicle was parked. As the PCN was for almost 6 weeks ago "the driver" can't remember whether they validated the parking or not, but I believe this is irrelevant as the PCN is for staying for the 7 days.
I, of course, will not admit who "the driver" is, to validating the parking, or anything else. I will only identify myself as the registered keeper. On their webform I will be putting the contest as "other".
Anything missing here in the email (a mash up of advice here + GPT):
I am appealing this Parking Charge Notice as the registered keeper of the vehicle. I will not be identifying the driver.
The PCN alleges that the vehicle remained parked at the site from [entry datetime] until [exit datetime]. This is incorrect. The vehicle made multiple separate visits to the car park during this period and did not remain on site continuously.
The vehicle is used regularly to attend the gym at this location, and during the period referenced it visited the site on several occasions and left the premises after each visit. The allegation that the vehicle remained parked for the entire period stated is therefore inaccurate.
This appears to be a classic ANPR "double dip" error, whereby intermediate exits and entries have not been captured and the system has incorrectly paired the first recorded entry with the final recorded exit.
The PCN only provides two images (an entry and an exit) which does not demonstrate continuous parking and does not prove the alleged duration of stay.
Please review the full ANPR record for the vehicle across the entire period in question. In addition, please provide the full, unredacted ANPR entry and exit log for this vehicle registration covering the dates [START DATE] to [END DATE], rather than a selective subset of images.
Given that the vehicle made multiple visits and did not remain on site as alleged, the parking charge has been issued incorrectly.
In light of the above, I request that this Parking Charge Notice is cancelled. If you choose to reject this appeal, please provide a POPLA verification code so that the matter may be referred to independent adjudication.
Thanks in advance for your help, please let me know if you need more info.