Parking Eye PCN - University of Surrey Senate Car Park

Hi all,

Could do with a bit of advice please - received this Parking Eye PCN (front and back) in the post few days ago.

Basically 'the car occupants' were just in 'holiday mode' on the way back from a long weekend away, there was some roadworks/wild fires or something that weekend and ended up taking a bit of a diversion - the car found itself driving through the beautiful University of Surrey campus.

Car still had a few leftover snacks and 'the car occupants' spotted a nice fountain/pond/park opposite to this car park so basically 'the car' ended up being parked in this car park while car occupants briefly explored this pond area and sat on a bench for a bit. Essentially with students away for the summer the whole place was deserted and quiet so didn't think much of it at all at the time.

Unfortunately of course it appears I've received this PCN now. This is the GSV view when entering the car park (from 2024 it seems), unfortunately when you jump forward closer to the signs on the wall (by the CAT van for example which is roughly probably where the car was parked) the date on the photos seem to jump back to 2019, so I'm not sure how representative the signage shown on GSV might be of what it is now.  I just think if it was super apparent one would've thought twice, but then again as I say maybe the driver was in holiday mode..

Could do with a bit of advice please on wether this PCN is valid/compliant (and if not why) and/or can/should I be challenging this. Thanks in advance.

There is no mention of period of parking appeal as registered keeper. Do not mention the time spent in enjoying the facilities.

Does the period of parking they have mentioned in the letter count?

Also, to be compliant does the letter itself had to have said what the restricted time period is or can the info be elsewhere like the portal and so on?

Just FYI portal has no additional pictures other than the two shown in the letter.

Please can you provide some wording of what appeal should say? Thanks

The period of parking must be mentioned it is not the same as the front of PCN ie time in car park. There are a number of appeal letters here but basically you appeal as RK and will not name the driver and that a period of parking is a mandatory part of POFA and they have not complied with the Act a little research will greatly assist you.

Having seen another appeal on this forum, please can anyone advise if this sounds sufficient, thanks.

I am appealing this alleged charge as the registered keeper on the grounds that this Parking Charge Notice is not compliant with PoFA 2012 Schedule 4 Paragraphs 6(1)(b) and 9(2), which requires that a "period of parking" be specified on the notice. I therefore ask that this PCN is immediately cancelled.

When you read other similar threads, you'll see that neither the creditor nor their 'independent' appeals assessor are likely to cancel on these grounds and so you'd be in for the long run of follow-up letters demanding payment and ultimately a county court claim with its associated procedures and a less than certain chance of success in court on the grounds(after all the 'period of parking' would IMO be taken to be the period  given on the front of the NTK).

On which point, remove the 'I' in your first post. 

I don't seem to see an option to modify the old posts for some reason..

I'll go ahead with the appeal for now then and will ask for more help at the assessor appeal stage for any more 'robust' wording.

Thanks

I've referred to the Moderator for you.

Having viewed the Uni campus on GSV it appears to be a HUGE site.

How does having entry and exit images prove that any parking took place?

I would have that front and centre of any appeal.

The OP posted:

Car still had a few leftover snacks and 'the car occupants' spotted a nice fountain/pond/park opposite to this car park so basically 'the car' ended up being parked in this car park while car occupants briefly explored this pond area and sat on a bench for a bit.

So, they're aware of the incident and the car park involved. They can do some leg work to see if the camera shots show entry and exit to the car park specified.

Hi again all,

Received this rejection today:

"Dear Sir / Madam,
Thank you for your appeal in relation to the Parking Charge incurred on 16 August 2026
at 19:00, at The University of Surrey - Senate car park.
We have reviewed the details outlined in your appeal, but we are not in receipt of
sufficient evidence to confirm that the terms and conditions were not breached. These
terms are clearly displayed on the signage located throughout the above car park.
Parkingeye are a member of the British Parking Association and can confirm that there is
adequate signage at this site that is visible, appropriately located and in line with the
guidelines set out in the BPA Code of Practice.
We are writing to advise you that your recent appeal has been unsuccessful and that you
have now reached the end of our internal appeals procedure.
If you wish to have your case independently assessed, please be advised, there is an
independent appeals service (POPLA) which is available to motorists who have had an
appeal rejected by a British Parking Association Approved Operator. Contact information
and further information can be found enclosed. See also www.popla.co.uk
Please note, if the Parking Charge was issued in Scotland/Northern Ireland, only the
driver can appeal to POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals).
As a gesture of goodwill, on a without prejudice basis, we will reduce the parking charge
amount to £48.00 if paid within the next 14 days. If you appeal to POPLA, you will not be
able to pay the discounted amount in settlement of the Parking Charge, and the full value
of the charge will be outstanding. In addition, if your appeal to POPLA is unsuccessful,
you will no longer be able to pay the discounted amount and the full value of the charge
will be due.
A payment can be made by telephoning 0330 555 4444, by visiting
www.parkingeye.co.uk/payments or alternatively by posting a cheque/postal order to
Parkingeye Ltd, PO Box 117, Blyth, NE24 9EJ. Please ensure you write your reference
number on the reverse of any cheque/postal order so the payment can be allocated.
If you have received this correspondence via email, please allow 24 hours for our
systems to reflect the discounted value before making a payment via our automated
payment line or website."

Can anyone arm me with the best wording for the POPLA appeal or is it sufficient to use what I used in the appeal to ParkingEye?

Yes.
If your appeal was as in Reply #4 above, then Parking Eye has completely ignored your single appeal point, which did not require you to supply “evidence” of any sort, so I would want to observe this in your POPLA appeal as well, and if they reject your appeal will enable you to construct a logical defence to any subsequent court claim.
If your appeal wasn’t as stated above, please let us know.

Yes my appeal was as per reply #4. For the POPLA Appeal then does this sound okay:

"I am appealing this alleged charge as the registered keeper on the grounds that this Parking Charge Notice was not compliant with PoFA 2012 Schedule 4 Paragraphs 6(1)(b) and 9(2), which requires that a "period of parking" be specified on the notice. I had therefore appealed to ParkingEye on this basis that the PCN be immediately cancelled.

In their rejection, Parking eye claimed "We have reviewed the details outlined in your appeal, but we are not in receipt of sufficient evidence to confirm that the terms and conditions were not breached."  Parking Eye therefore has completely ignored my single appeal point, which did not require me to supply “evidence” of any sort. I therefore ask POPLA to rule that this PCN was invalid and be cancelled."

Hi all,

Operator has now uploaded their 'operator case summary', here is anything that I thought isn't covered by all of the stuff that I've already shared on this thread:

"
Case Details
Case Reference   [Redacted]
Car Park                   The University of Surrey - Senate
In Date/Time           16/08/2026 18:16:52
Out Date/Time   16/08/2026 19:00:35
Time Allowed           0 hours 0 minutes
Time In Car Park   0 hours 43 minutes
Time Paid For   0 hours 0 minutes
"

[Same entry and exit photos then as the original PCN showing timestamps]

"Rules and Conditions
This site is a Permit holders’ & authorised vehicles’ only car park as clearly stated on the signage (enclosed). We have included a signage plan showing that there are signs situated at the entrance, exit and throughout the car park displaying the terms and conditions of the site.

Authority
We can confirm that the above site is on private land, is not council owned and that we have written authority to operate and issue Parking Charge Notices at this site from the landowner (or landowner’s agent).
It must also be noted that any person who makes a contract in his own name without disclosing the existence of a principal, or who, though disclosing the fact that he is acting as an agent on behalf of a principal, renders himself personally liable on the contract, is entitled to enforce it against the other contracting party. (Fairlie v Fenton (1870) LR 5 Exch 169). It follows that a lawful contract between ourselves and the motorist will be enforceable by us as a party to that contract.

Additional Information
This car park has been registered with the British Parking Association (BPA).
An audit of the car park has been carried out by the BPA, who confirmed the car park is compliant with the Single Code of Practice.
This is a permit holder car park.
The motorist did not have a permit approved from the trust therefore was not permitted to park in the car park.
The motorist did not have a valid permit to park and no attempt was made to register a permit on the date of the event.

We ensure that all our signage is clear, ample, and in keeping with the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice regulations. The signage at this site demonstrates adequate colour contrast between the text and the backgrounds advised in the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice.

Lookup Table
The above system extract displays all permits, payments for parking, and terminal entries relating to the vehicle on the date of the parking event.
Please note, if no results are displayed, this confirms that no permit, payment, or terminal entries were recorded."

[Then pdf of details of their signage requirements of this car park]

[Then scans of the letters they sent and my appeal text basically]

Then some additional info of why they can make the charge claim as per photos 1 & 2 here

Then some pictures showing the actual signage, of which I have picked this and this for here.

I believe they uploaded it on 02/10 giving me 7 days to respond, which should be 08/10. Can anyone advise if I should be saying any different to what my original appeal said? I note again that in everything they have uploaded they have still not specified 'a period of parking' (just entry/exit/time in car park)" for the notice to be PoFA compliant. Do I just repeat what I said at the start of the appeal stage or should I be adding anything else?

Thanks again.

Anything and everything in their summary with which you disagree you should rebut, whether or not you think you did so originally or not.
Just quote what they've said and explain why you think they are wrong.
Plus, as you say, if they've ignored points that you made in your appeal (such as the period of parking point) you should call this out also.
One way would be using numbered bulleted points for each instance. Just make it simple for the reader.