I received a PCN, pictures attached here (page 1 to 4):
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCJrvnI appealed before reading the advice on here, which is a shame, but hopefully somebody will nevertheless give me advice...
The appeal I sent is reproduced below and will serve as an explanation of what happened; if anyone wants further info, I will gladly give it:
"My wife had an appointment at Spire Hospital Cardiff at 10am on 15/01/26, following spinal surgery. Due to the surgery, she couldn't drive & needed dropping off & picking up. Because of post-op pain, she can't stand for long, so it was vital that I was at the hospital for pickup as soon as the appointment finished. I dropped her off at 10am then drove to a shop while she was attending the appointment. It was due to end at 10:20, so I drove back from the shop & reentered the car park 5 minutes before, to be ready for the quickest pickup. My wife then texted me that the Consultant was running 20 minutes late, so I parked up so as not to block the waiting area. I then waited in the car till she texted that she was ready for pickup. I drove to the waiting area immediately, picked her up & we left the car park. From the PCN, the time entry to exit was 35 mins, but this was a pickup, not parking. I did not leave the car parked & unattended.
In order to support pickup/dropoff, there obviously exists a grace/consideration period for which registration is not necessary. This must be the case, since I received no PCN for the period I was in the car park dropping my wife off, before exiting to the shop. At UHW, where my wife's surgery took place, this period is 4 hours & is clearly indicated on signs. At Spire, there is no indication of the grace/consideration period (see attached 'spire actual sign viewed') & it is therefore a reasonable assumption that it is long enough to cover the appointment time plus the inevitable time waiting to be seen plus transfer time, say 1 hour. It should be specified to avoid confusion. Note that the site evidence on your website shows a sign (attached `Parking Awareness site evidence sign`) which DOES specify the waiting time as 30mins, but DIFFERS from the one actually on site.
For these reasons I will not be paying the fine as it is unjustified in my case."As I stated in my appeal, I took a picture of the sign actually in the Car Park, entitled "spire actual sign viewed" and it differs from the one listed under 'site evidence' when I went to Parking Awareness Services' website. That picture is entitled "Parking Awareness site evidence sign"
I received the following response to my appeal:
Dear xxx,
Thank you for your recent appeal for Parking Charge Notice xxx. We have reviewed the case and considered the comments that you have made. This appeal has been considered in conjunction with the evidence gathered by the ANPR system; retrospective evidence you may have supplied could not be used in the appeal decision.
The reason you were issued with a Parking Charge Notice was:
Vehicle not authorised at Cardiff Spire Hospital as detailed on signage. The signage clearly displayed on site at Cardiff Spire Hospital clearly states that to remain on site motorists MUST register their full and accurate vehicle registration in the kiosk in the reception upon arrival. The vehicle must be registered for the entire period the vehicle is on site, from entry to exit. Vehicles must be fully parked within the confines of a single marked bay. Patients are not exempt from the terms and conditions of this site due to the quantity of signage (A boards outside reception, signage inside reception, signs in car park, signs at entry/exit) and the kiosks provided in multiple locations (receptions, imaging, wards...)
The terms and conditions apply to all vehicles remaining on site. The private parking single code of practice defines parking as: "a vehicle entering and remaining on controlled land... a vehicle being stationary other than in the course of driving... NOTE: A vehicle may be deemed to be parked whether or not the driver has left the vehicle and/or turned off the ignition". There is no requirement for signage to specify a consideration or grace period. As your vehicle remained on site for 35 minutes, you were required to register it. As we have no record of your vehicle being registered, the terms and conditions were not met. In accordance with the new single code of practice, the PCN will be reduced to £20 where the vehicle would have been permitted at the location, but the driver failed to enter their registration into a terminal/device as specified in the terms and conditions, or it was not submitted correctly. This reduction applies only for the first parking charge issued for the vehicle.
Due to the above, we are unable to cancel the Parking Charge Notice as we believe, with the evidence we have, that it was issued correctly. The amount due is £20, within the next 14 days, failing to pay the reduced amount means that the full amount of £100 with be due after the reduced period has ended. You can make payment using the methods below:
Online: www.managemypcn.com
BACs / Bank Transfer:
Account Name: Parking Awareness Services
Sort Code: 04-00-75
Account Number: 74904906
Payment reference: 7270023468 xxxx
(Using the wrong reference format may delay allocation.)
If you believe this decision is incorrect, you are entitled to appeal to the Independent Appeals Service (IAS). Appeals must be submitted within 28 days of the date of your decision. For further information please visit https://track.pstmrk.it/3ts/www.theias.org./bK0EAQ/vhDDAQ/AQ/ea8ddda9-a1fa-4685-9fd4-4ccda7f6ba6a/1/QMZexDwUok Please be advised that if you do appeal to IAS and the option to pay the discounted amount is available, it will no longer be available and the full amount of the PCN will be due if your appeal is rejected by IAS.
This email is a summary of your appeal decision, a letter with full details will be posted to you, to the name and address provided at the time the appeal was submitted.
Yours sincerely,
Parking Awareness Services
I also contacted the hospital to check whether they could cause the fine to be waived. As expected, they said that the parking was handled by the independent company, and asked whether the fine had been commuted to £20 and when I said it had, they said that that was tantamount to an 'admin charge' rather than a fine. I asked for their complaints contact - they gave me an email address and I may yet complain to see if the charge can be waived from their influence.
In the meantime, do I have grounds/defence not to pay the £20 - if so, what action should I take?
Thanks in advance!
Show Posts
, I was beginning to give up hope as I saw the raft of other issues scrolling past - there are so many people generating cases!