Parking charge notices (PCNs), which apply to parking disputes on private land, are basically requests for damages incurred by the land owner as a result of the driver’s breach of their parking terms. They can also be used as a legally accepted deterrent to avoid future breaches, even if they have not suffered any losses. When someone parks on private land, they enter into an unwritten contract with the land owner – they are allowed to use the parking on offer and in return, they agree to follow the rules of parking that apply. If these rules are breached, the land owner can argue that the driver has acted in breach of contract and pursue them further for damages, losses and future deterrent. if there are sufficient signs on site to advise you of the parking restrictions you would not have any strong grounds to challenge this. The initial request by the land owner (or their representatives) can potentially be ignored as it has no legal standing and they cannot force payment. However, if they then go to court and win, the original charge can become legally payable under a court judgment. Whether they go to court, or even win, is something that no one can predict, however that is the risk that one must take. Bulk summons are irrelevant, you cannot bulk prosecute, so if you don't mind turning up in the county court. The chances are they wont.
Appeals Process in some circumstances it is best to start by contacting the land owner, as they can potentially cancel the charge directly with the parking company. In the meantime, a formal appeal should still be pursued, if possible.In terms of appealing, the parking company should provide contact information (either on the ticket or on notices around the car park) - contact them and ask for the fine to be suspended whilst it is challenged. Any relevant grounds to challenge the fine can then be raised directly with them.
Citizens Advice Bureau provide a helpful tool for creating an appeal letter, which you can refer to:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/l...rking-ticket/challenge-private-parking-ticket. If the initial appeal to the parking company is unsuccessful, an independent appeal can be considered.If they are a BPA-approved company, a formal appeal can be submitted to Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA):
https://www.popla.co.uk/start-an-appeal
If they are an IPC member, a formal appeal can be submitted to the Independent Appeals Service:
https://www.theias.org/appeal. If appealing has been unsuccessful and the charges are still not paid, it is up to the parking company to decide whether to go to court over this.
They have the right to make a claim but they would also need to convince the court that the terms of parking were breached. Any defence, explanation or mitigating factors can be submitted in response to the claim to try and challenge them. Even if they were successful and won, the overall costs will not increase significantly – perhaps a couple of hundred pounds extra on top of the current amount. If the full amount is paid off within 30 days of the court judgment, there will also be no CCJ to worry about and no adverse effect on your credit rating.
I pulled the above from other sources and tweaked it a bit - its basically all there.
