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Croydon PCN – Pay or Appeal?

By HuutiMoney
Page last updated: 08/31/2022 | Next review date: 08/31/2024
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This blog answers the question “Croydon PCN – Pay or Appeal?” A Croydon PCN cannot be appealed after 14 days of it being charged so this incentive to pay makes a PCN appeal a less sensible option. This blog explains which traffic offences are considered higher-level violations and which (relatively similar) ones might be charged a lower-level PCN instead.

 Croydon PCN – Pay or Appeal?

In Croydon Council, you have a much shorter timeframe for disputing a Penalty Charge Notice. You may not be able to put together a successful case within 14 days or have the opportunity to take out the time to respond to the PCN before its fine increases (to £130 or £80). So, after 14 days the only action you can take regarding your Croydon Council PCN is to pay it without any discount.

 It is better not to take the chance with your challenge to the PCN and end up feeling hopeless beyond the 14th day if you lose the PCN appeal. The only situation which can be an exception to this general advice is where you have received a lower level PCN on a Band B road which has a £60 fine (to be paid within 28 days).

 In this case, you can appeal by the 14th day and if you lose your challenge, it won’t be such a costly setback paying the £60 PCN fine.

You should generally remember to pay the PCN fine as soon as you are served the PCN and not think of appealing a Croydon PCN even if it is an erroneous one.

In many cases, PCNs are not enforceable and you may be able to win your case and avoid having to pay your fine.

You could begin the process by speaking to an online solicitor for as little as £5. 

What is a Penalty Charge Notice?

A Penalty Charge Notice is a fine or monetary penalty for driving violations. You will be given 28 days to respond to a Penalty Charge Notice. If you don’t pay the PCN fine by the end of the 28 days or decide to appeal the PCN charges, you will be issued a Charge Certificate.

A charge certificate will increase the penalty amount by 50% of its original value. In the case of a Croydon Band A (higher level offence) Parking PCN, you will now have to pay £195 and for a Croydon Band B (higher level offence) Parking PCN you will now have to pay £165. Under the charge certificate, you will have to pay £120 for a Croydon Band A (lower-level offence) Parking PCN and £90 for a Croydon Band B (lower-level offence).  

A bus lane PCN and moving traffic PCN will now be worth £195 under the charge certificate.

The charge certificate fine must be paid within 14 days. A charge certificate cannot be appealed

What is the PCN fine for a PCN in Croydon Council?

The Penalty Charge Notice fine for a Croydon Council Parking PCN is set at £130 for a higher level PCN or £80 for a lower level PCN. You will be paying either £130 or £80 depending on your level of traffic offence.

 There is a 50% discount applicable to both the PCNs. If you pay the higher level Parking PCN fine within 14 days, it reduces to £65. Similarly, with the 50% discount, the low-level PCN fine reduces to £40 if you pay the lower level fine within 21 days.

For a Bus Lane or moving traffic PCN, the payable amount is 130 if paid within 28 days. If you pay a Bus Lane PCN or a moving traffic PCN within 14 days, you only have to pay £65

These charges apply to the 4 kinds of PCNs you can be given on Band A roads in Croydon Council, Band B roads have a £110 fine for a higher level Parking PCN and a £60 fine for a lower level PCN. Bus Lane and moving traffic PCNs are also charged at the higher level traffic violation rate of £110.

There is also a 50% discount (given certain conditions) on the PCNs served on Band B roads in Croydon Council. If a higher level PCN issued on Band B roads is paid within 14 days, it will cost you just £55. You will need to pay £30 if you pay a lower-level Band B Road PCN within 21 days. 

If a Bus Lane PCN or moving traffic PCN served on a Band B road is paid within 14 days, it will be a £55 fine.

Which are the Band B roads for Croydon Council?

The roads considered Band B roads in Croydon Council are:

  • Auckland Road SE 19
  • Central Hill, SE 19
  • Church Road, SE 19
  • Crown Dale, SE 19
  • Crown Lane, SW 16
  • Fox Hill, SE 19
  • Green Lane, Thornton Heath
  • Green Lane, Purley
  • Hermitage Lane, SW 16
  • King Henry’s Drive CR0
  • Lansdown Place, SW 16
  • Skid Hill Lane, West Wickham
  • Westow Hill, SE 19

How can I pay my Croydon PCN?

You can pay your Croydon PCN online by entering your PCN number and your MasterCard, Visa Card, Delta Card, or Electron Card payment details on the Croydon council online payments portal. Another method of paying your PCN in Croydon Council is by telephone. For this, you will need to call on this number: 0345 3000 614. 

 On the Croydon automated payments hotline, you will be required to enter your PCN number, payment card details, and your vehicle registration number to complete the process.

 The third option for paying your Croydon PCN is a check or postal order payable to “Croydon Council”. This payment should be sent to the following address:

Croydon Council Parking Services, 

PO Box 1462,

Croydon,

CR9 1WX

You also have to mention your Croydon PCN number and vehicle registration number by hand on the back of your check or postal order.

You can also pay your Croydon PCN by cash using Paypoint. To pay you will have to first search your nearest PayPoint location here. A letter containing your unique Paypoint barcode is required to access the payments system.

What are the higher-level offences for a Croydon Council PCN?

The higher-level offences for Croydon Council PCN are as follows:

  • Your vehicle was parked in a restricted street during operational hours
  • You left your vehicle parked in a residential parking bay without displaying a pay and display ticket or another parking permit
  • Your vehicle was parked in a parking zone which is reserved for police vehicles
  • Your vehicle was stopped on a taxi rank
  • Your vehicle had failed to follow a restriction order for vehicles to enter a pedestrian zone
  • Your vehicle was parked with one or more wheels positioned over a footpath
  • Your vehicle exceeds the permitted height or length of a vehicle which can be parked in the area
  • Your parked vehicle is obstructing moving traffic.

What is a lower-level traffic violation, which has a £60-£80 fine in Croydon Council?

A lower-level traffic violation, with a £60 fine on a Band B Road in Croydon Council (or an £80 fine on a Band A road in Croydon Council) includes the following traffic contraventions:

  • Your vehicle is still parked in a parking zone when its indicated time limit has expired
  • Your vehicle was parked with payment made to extend its stay in the parking zone beyond the original parking permit time
  • Your vehicle was parked in the same parking zone within one hour of leaving the zone.
  • Your vehicle was parked in a disc parking space without clearly displaying the parking disc
  • Your vehicle has been left parked with its engine on, in a parking space where this is prohibited.
  • Your vehicle was parked in a parking space without any pay and display ticket or paying any parking charge whatsoever.
  • Your vehicle was not parked within the correct markings of a parking bay or parking space and a full wheel of your vehicle was outside the parking space for your vehicle.

What is the procedure for appealing against a Croydon PCN?

You can only appeal a Croydon PCN within 14 days of getting it and no later. You can start your PCN appeal by clicking here: Appeal PCN Your contravention code number and PCN number will be required for starting your online PCN Appeal. You also have to provide the same explanation for your appeal as you would have done on a postal PCN objection.

Another way of making your appeal is through email. You have to write an email explaining your challenge to the Croydon PCN mentioning your PCN number, mailing address, and contravention code. Your email should be sent to pcn@croydon.gov.uk

You can send in your PCN appeal through the postal service to ensure that you can easily attach any evidence such as a pay and display ticket, a parking permit or a copy of relevant legislation along with your letter. The reasons for your appeal mentioning your PCN number and vehicle registration number need to be sent to this address:

Croydon Council Parking Services,

PO Box 1462,

Croydon,

CR9 1WX

Once you initiate the appeals process Croydon Council will provide you with photographic evidence of how your vehicle was parked at the time of the violation.

If the Croydon Council accepts your appeal to the PCN, the PCN will be annulled and you will not be liable for any monetary penalty. 

In case the council sends you a “Notice of Rejection” by disapproving of your representation, you then have to pay the amount mentioned on the PCN (within 28 days).

What happens if I fail to pay my Croydon PCN within 28 days?

If you fail to pay your Croydon PCN within 28 days, you will be sent a charge certificate from Transport for London. A charge certificate increases your PCN fine by 50%. You should pay the charge certificate within 14 days as it cannot be appealed and ignoring the charge certificate may result in the filing of a court order against you (by Croydon Council).

 When the charge certificate is also not paid within 14 days, you will receive a “Notice of Debt Registration” and a witness certificate from Transport for London. This witness certificate is pretty much your last chance of proving the alleged traffic contravention mentioned on your PCN never happened.

 The unpaid amount mentioned on the charge certificate will be treated as debt with your local Traffic Enforcement Centre. A court order enforces that the charge certificate amount must be paid within 14 days or the court will be forced to sanction the use of additional powers to recover the money from you.

How Can I Dispute A Croydon PCN with The Independent Parking And Traffic Adjudicators (London Tribunals) if Croydon council dismisses my appeal?

You can dispute a Croydon PCN with the Traffic Adjudicators at London Tribunals within 28 days of getting your “Notice of Rejection” from Croydon Council. You have to fill in the form provided to you with the Notice of Rejection and mail it to this postal address:

London Tribunals,

PO Box 10598,

Nottingham,

NG6 6DR

London Tribunals will notify both you and the Croydon Council of the hearing date. If Croydon Council contests your appeal, it will provide you with a copy of its application along with the evidence sent by it to the Traffic Adjudicators at London Tribunals.

 In case the independent parking and traffic adjudicator decides the case in your favour, Croydon Council will promptly withdraw the PCN.

Conclusion

This blog post addressed the question “Croydon PCN – Pay or Appeal?” A PCN served on a Band B road in Croydon Council should be paid within 14 days because it is only a £55 fine for a higher level traffic violation or a £30 fine for a less serious one. If you have received a parking PCN or bus lane PCN on a Band A road, you can dispute it with the council by providing the necessary evidence supporting your claim.