There are certain areas of private parking enforcement that many are unclear of and we often receive communications from our clients asking for clarity in those areas.  With this is mind we felt it would be helpful to answer the more common questions and clear any confusion there maybe.

Are blue badge holders exempt from the private parking terms & conditions?

The concessions that apply to the Blue Badge Scheme are only applicable on the public highway and are not relevant on private land. The decision as to what terms blue badge holders must park is totally down to the land owner, however land owners generally lean to implementing the same terms as found elsewhere within the car park.

Who is POPLA?

With the introduction of the Protection of Freedoms Act, so too came POPLA. POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals Service) was created to ensure independence and impartiality when assessing motorist’s appeals. The BPA appointed London Councils, who are professional and respected body who have provided independent adjudication for London for many years. POPLA employs a team of highly qualified professionals, who have complete judicial independence to decide on cases.

What is the maximum parking charge notice amount an operator can charge?

There are no set requirements, only recommendations that have been set by the British Parking Association. Ordinarily parking charge amounts do not exceed that of £100 but some operators may charge more but would have to justify this amount to the British Parking Association.

Is there a set grace period you must give before a parking charge notice is issued?

As set within the BPA’s Code of Practice, car park operators must allow the driver a reasonable ‘grace period’ in order for them to read the signs and leave before any enforcement can be carried out. Generally speaking a five minute grace period should be sufficient but factors such as the size, layout and traffic flow have to be taken into account.

If a vehicle has driven away before the parking charge notice has been printed, is it still valid?

The PCN can still be served via post if the enforcement operative had already begun to issue it before the vehicle had driven away. In most cases the enforcement operative would have already acquired the photographic evidence to support the PCN.

If you have any further questions about parking enforcement on private land or would like some information on the services provided by Gemini Parking Solutions then please contact us on 0871 200 2143 or info@geminiparkingsolutions.com