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How Can I Challenge A CP Plus Parking Network PCN?

By HuutiMoney
Page last updated: 10/31/2022 | Next review date: 10/31/2024
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This blog serves to answer the question “How Can I Challenge A CP Plus Parking Network PCN?” You need to be thoroughly aware of the lower level parking contravention codes enforced in CP Plus Parking Network’s car parks and make a habit of recording your car park visits on a digital camera. The evidence you are attaching with your CP Plus PCN challenge must be relevant to your traffic violation and sufficiently convince the CP Plus Parking Network of the assertions put forward in your appeal.

How Can I Challenge A CP Plus Parking Network PCN?

Your CP Plus Parking Network PCN can only be challenged online which means that the evidence relating to your parking actions inside a CP Plus car park needs to be saved on your computer for uploading with your PCN challenge. You should write down your CP Plus PCN challenge in a word processing software and edit the text to eliminate any reasons for your appeal which do not conform to the established grounds for contesting the contravention code on your Parking PCN.

It is necessary to refine the grounds of your PCN challenge so that the CP Plus Parking Network seriously considers your appeal and understands that you are making your point based on authentic evidence material and genuinely did not commit the traffic violation. In some cases you can mention mitigating circumstances which led you to leave your vehicle parked in a CP Plus car park for an extended period of time but they need to be backed by medical certificates from a licensed General Practitioner. These reasons also need to be serious enough to make you seek immediate medical attention and you will have to share records of your hospital visit to convince CP Plus Parking networks of the seriousness of your case.

You can use photographs to show that your vehicle was correctly parked within its designated parking space. These photographs can be taken by a passenger present with you when you parked your car in the CP Plus car park. You can also film a video for the duration of your car park visit instead.

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. 

Can I Only Challenge My CP Plus Parking PCN online?

Yes, you can only challenge my CP Plus Parking PCN online on the CP Plus Parking Network website. 

You can challenge a PCN issued in a CP Plus Parking Network car park, by filling in the online PCN challenge form on the Parking Management Company’s official website. You need to brainstorm reasons for challenging a CP Plus Parking PCN from the day of the incident and list them down in word processing software or on paper. It is essential to have some authentic evidence to attach with your PCN appeal in the form of video footage of the traffic violation, medical certificates explaining your mitigating circumstances, or pay and display tickets. 

The evidence must be matched with the grounds for your appeal before describing the incident from your point of view. Your rough formal representation can be edited for clarity multiple times before it is ready to attach to your online appeal to CP Plus Parking Services Ltd. You need to visit the CP Plus Parking Network website to challenge your PCN. 

After this you need to enter your PCN Number and your Vehicle Registration Number on this webpage. Once you have entered these details you can view your CP Plus PCN details before filling in the online appeals form.

It is essential to upload authentic evidence material with your CP Plus Parking PCN challenge to describe your mitigating circumstances to the Parking Services company and for explaining your point of view of the events which took place at the traffic violation scene.  If you made a video clip of your traffic contravention, you should save snapshots from it by using a video player or video editing software. Mitigating circumstances are usually not considered but if you can prove that you didn’t commit the parking contravention, it will be a better argument for challenging your CP Plus Parking PCN.

Most video players such as VLC player allow you to slow down your video frame by frame and thus take ( a collection of) snapshots to attach with your CP Plus Parking PCN challenge.The text of your appeal must state the relevant contravention code on your PCN and explain how you attempted to avoid the error (supported by photos or video footage). You can just simply attach your paid parking permit or pay and display ticket to prove that you had adequately paid for parking your vehicle in the car park, if that was the case

Once you have proofread your appeal to eliminate any reasons for your challenge which might convey a disregard for parking contravention codes enforced in CP Plus Parking Network’s car parks (by mixing up the contraventions) or reasons which involve forgetfulness to justify your actions, you can submit the formal representation.

What is a Penalty Charge Notice?

A Penalty Charge Notice is a monetary penalty issued to drivers or motorists for committing certain traffic contraventions including violating Parking, Bus Lane, and Moving Traffic restrictions. A PCN is issued for failing to follow Parking zone, bus lane enforcement, and moving traffic restrictions mentioned in the Road Traffic Act 1984 and the Traffic Management Act 2004.

A penalty charge notice can be handed to you by a Civil Enforcement Officer or dispatched to your (DVLA) residential address by post. Traffic contraventions are observed by CCTV cameras and Civil Enforcement Officers before a violation is detected and the vehicle is charged with a PCN.

A PCN might also be issued for failing to pay road charges on time. You have 28 days to decide how and if you would like to challenge your Penalty Charge Notice. After 28 days if you have neither paid nor challenged your PCN, your unpaid PCN amount will be registered as debt at the Traffic Enforcement Centre at the Northampton County Court.

What Do I Need to Know About the CP Plus Parking Network?

CP Plus Parking Network and Ranger Services had a merger to form Group Nexus. Ranger services were taken over by CP Plus Parking Network. Group Nexus manages 1200 car parks and provides technology with which to analyse parking data. Group Nexus manages the installation of ANPR linked car park management systems, parking assistants, on the ground facilities management and parking enforcement.

127 million number plates are read each month by Group Nexus run ANPR cameras. Group Nexus operates car parks in the following sectors:

  • Retail
  • Leisure
  • Education
  • Healthcare and NHS
  • Transport (Road and Motorway car parks, Rail car parks)
  • Local shopping centres, community car parks

Which parking contravention codes are enforced in CP Plus Parking Network’s car parks?

The following parking contravention codes are enforced in CP Plus Parking Network’s car parks:

  • Contravention Code 71 parked within an electric vehicle’s charging space without being charged (in restricted hours)
  • Contravention Code 73 parked without paying the required parking charge.  (with a 10-minute observation time)
  • Contravention Code 80 parked in a parking space for a duration longer than that allowed by the car park.  (with a 10-minute observation time)
  • Contravention Code 82 parked after the expiry of the time limit mentioned on the parking permit or pay and display ticket (with a 10-minute observation time)
  • Contravention code 83. Parked in a CP Plus Parking Network car park without clearly showing the parking permit or pay and display ticket on its windscreen  (with a 10-minute observation time)
  • Contravention code 84. Parked in a CP Plus Parking Network car park with payment made to extend(parking) beyond the original time limit first paid for. You can only buy parking for your vehicle once when you bring your vehicle to the CP Plus Parking Network car park and this amount (time duration) should be enough for your visit.
  • Contravention code 86. A vehicle that is shown not to be clearly parked within its designated parking space.
  • Contravention code 90. A vehicle that has been reparked within the same car park within one hour of leaving the zone
  • Contravention code 93. A vehicle has been left parked inside a car park, while the CP Plus Parking Network car park was closed.
  • Contravention code 94. A vehicle that has been left parked inside a pay-and-display car park without properly displaying 2 pay and display tickets where required.
  • Contravention code 95. A vehicle that has been left parked within a euro parking zone for a different purpose than that which the car park is meant for.
  • Contravention code 96. A vehicle that has been left parked in a euro car park with its engine on (where prohibited)

How Can I Pay A CP Plus Parking Network PCN?

You should be aware of the fact that you can only pay your CP Plus Parking PCN fine online. The PCN fine can be paid online on the Group Nexus official website. This payment method saves time and is also more precise as your details are entered directly into an electronic database.

If you were looking for a postal order payment option or a choice for paying your PCN fine via an automated payments hotline, you might be disappointed to learn that these options are unavailable for your CP Plus Parking PCN.

You need to enter your PCN Number and your Vehicle Registration Number after opening this webpage to initiate the PCN fine payment online. After entering these details you will be shown your Penalty Charge Notice information and in the next window, you can enter your payment card details. You must remember to wait for 24 hours after your PCN is issued before attempting to pay it.

What happens if I don’t pay my CP Plus Parking PCN within 28 days?

You should not consider a private car park PCN any less than a regular PCN issued by your local council. The higher level parking contravention codes enforced by the CP Plus Parking Network make you legally bound to respect them while using the company’s parking zones.

If you neither pay your CP Plus Parking PCN within 28 days nor decide to appeal against it, you will be sent a letter from the car park company to pay your PCN in full within 14 days. If you donot pay the PCN within the next 14 days, your (nonpayment) case will be passed on to an Enforcement Agent or bailiff. Your actions will also result in the filing of a court order (for recovery of debts) against you by the CP Plus Parking Network.

Your unpaid Parking PCN amount will be treated as a debt with the Traffic Enforcement Centre at the Northampton County Court.

The court order for debt recovery enforces that the charge certificate amount must be paid in full within 21 days the county court will have to use additional powers to recover the money from your possession which means employing Enforcement Agents, to (contact you or) visit your personal premises.

Can I dispute my Notice of Rejection with POPLA if the CP Plus Parking Network dismisses my appeal?

You can dispute your Notice of Rejection of Representations from the CP Plus Parking Network with the Parking on Private Land Appeals service (POPLA). Your challenge can be sent in 2 different ways, the first method is to download the POPLA Appeals Form, print it out and send it to the Parking On Private Land Appeals service postal address:

POPLA,

PO Box 1270,

Warrington,

WA4 9RL

The letter must mention the 10 digit reference number contained in your Notice of Rejection from the CP Plus Parking Network. You need to remember that the appeal to POPLA is just like a regular Parking PCN challenge. You can upload evidence such as video clips of your traffic violation scenes (taken from inside your vehicle), medical certificates from a certified General Practitioner, and scanned copies of “pay and display” tickets.

The evidence is necessary to convince the Parking on Private Land Appeals service that you did not breach the relevant Parking contravention code. You should preferably memorise all these codes before using the CP Plus Parking Network’s car parks, so that you know how to challenge a PCN and can do your best to avoid getting one.

If you have mentioned mitigating circumstances in your POPLA appeal, you must be able to explain the cause and effect relationship between the condition which led you to commit the traffic violation (such as leaving your vehicle parked for an extended period of time owing to a medical emergency). The evidence material to be sent with your written representation needs to be a document or photographs from the scene of the incident. You can convert a video clip into photographs by using a video player or video editing software by simply taking snapshots of the relevant frames showing your claim.

A first class mail letter takes between 1 to 2 days to reach POPLA and second class mail takes between 3 to 5 days. So you need to send in your challenge by the 20th day at the latest for it to be considered side by side with the CP Plus Parking Network’s legal proposition.

You also need to remember that you must submit a challenge to your Notice of Rejection from the CP Plus Parking Network to POPLA within 28 days of receiving your Notice of Rejection.

How can I submit my challenge to the Notice of Rejection of Representations from CP Plus Parking Network by using the online form?

In order to submit your challenge to the Notice of Rejection of Representations from the CP Plus Parking Network online, you need to visit the POPLA website. On this page you need to first agree to the terms and tick each one off and enter your 10 digit verification number stated on the Notice of Rejection from the CP Plus Parking Network. You need to click on “I Confirm that the operator is correct” and click on “Start Appeal” after that. On the next page you will be asked for your CP Plus Parking PCN Number, Vehicle Registration Number, the reasons for your challenge and the evidence material to support your case (which can be uploaded onto the POPLA system).

Here you can easily attach evidence material such as video clips and scanned copies of your medical certificates (for supporting your mitigating circumstances) through your computer. It is also an advantage to be able to first edit the text of your formal representation in a word processing software and then transfer it onto the online appeals form on the POPLA website. A better worded parking contravention challenge which mentions the legal technicalities stated in the Road Traffic Act 1988 or the Traffic Management Act 2004 regarding your parking contravention code to put forward your challenge will be considered as a strong formal representation.

The evidence attached with your challenge should also be correctly matched with the grounds of your appeal and not seem out of place. The document or video clip needs to clearly prove your mitigating circumstances or show that the traffic contravention didn’t occur, and convince POPLA to accept your evidence over that provided by the CP Plus Parking Network.

Once POPLA is satisfied that the CP Plus Parking Network’s case has been refuted outright by your representation of the matter, the adjudicant (or assessor) of your case will probably make the final decision in your case.

This decision will be sent to both you and to the CP Plus Parking Network via email simultaneously. If the decision by POPLA is made in your favour the CP Plus Parking Network PCN will immediately be cancelled.

If your appeal is rejected by Parking on Private Land Appeals service, you will have to pay the fine within the next 28 days to avoid your case being taken to the debt collection stage by the CP Plus Parking Network.

At POPLA “assessors” or adjudicators of your case will make their final decision based on :

  • The act of legislation your case (traffic contravention) refers to such as the Traffic Management Act 2004
  • The Code of Practice used by The British Parking Association
  • The articles of evidence put forward by CP Plus Parking Network and you which are representing opposing viewpoints of the situation.

Conclusion

This blog post addressed the question “How Can I Challenge A CP Plus Parking Network PCN?” You should strictly follow all the parking contraventions enforced in CP Plus Parking Network’s car parks and understand that you are entering private property when you park your vehicle there. It is mandatory for you to respond to your CP Plus Penalty Charge Notice within 28 days, just like a council issued PCN.