How Can I Challenge A NW Parking Ltd PCN?
This blog serves to answer the question “How Can I Challenge A NW Parking Ltd PCN?” You need to be aware of the 12 parking contravention codes enforced in NorthWest Parking Management car parks so that you don’t carelessly end up with a PCN. It is necessary to actively collect evidence relating to your actions inside a NW Parking car park in order to have some evidence for supporting your PCN challenge.
How Can I Challenge A NW Parking Ltd PCN?
You can challenge a NW Parking Ltd PCN by writing a formal representation by mail to the Appeals Department of the car park company or by writing an email to their email address with your PCN challenge and evidence enclosed in it.
You need to understand that NorthWest Parking Management enforces parking contraventions in its car parks in much the same way as your local council and you are just as liable for getting a PCN in their parking zones and being penalised for violating these restrictions as you are in a council run car park. The only difference is that NorthWest Parking directly serves its private clients, who use its services to manage their parking spaces efficiently and effectively. But NorthWest Parking Management also ensures that drivers using its car parks are not unfairly charged with PCNs and have an effective system for appealing against one.
The overall goal of improving efficiency in its car parks is achieved by ensuring transparency to all visitors of a NorthWest Parking Management Car Park. These visitors often also use some services such as shopping, health care or universities while leaving their vehicle parked in the NorthWest Parking Car Park, so they would like to remember having a pleasant experience as far as their car park stopover is concerned.
The Parking on Private Land Appeals service also acts as a check on the Penalty Charge Notices issued by NorthWest Parking Management by providing an independent appeals service to drivers.
The most important element of your NorthWest Parking Management PCN challenge is your evidence which can be a pay and display ticket showing the amount of time your vehicle was parked for or a video showing how it was properly attached to your windscreen in the car park.
Other evidence items could be photographs showing you parking your vehicle within the designated markings of its parking space or a video which shows that you have used the designated parking area for the purpose it was meant to serve (a car park besides a shopping centre meant for customers etc).
You need to be creative when looking for evidence to support your appeal as many different documents or items can be sent with your PCN challenge as long as they clearly demonstrate your point of view stated in the grounds of your appeal (and are authentic).
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 the procedure for appealing against a NorthWest Parking Management PCN?
You can submit a formal representation to your NorthWest Parking Management PCN by writing a letter addressed to NorthWest Parking or by sending an email to the NWP Management appeals email address.
You need to brainstorm reasons to challenge a NorthWest Parking Management PCN from the day of your parking violation incident and list them down in word processing software or on paper.
It is essential to have some authentic evidence to attach with your Parking PCN appeal in the form of video footage of your actions inside the car park or videos of you parking your vehicle within the marking of your parking space. You can make sure to record these each time you visit a NorthWest Parking Management Car Park to have some evidence for challenging a future PCN.
You need to save scanned copies of your medical certificates explaining your mitigating circumstances, or scanned copies of your pay and display tickets used at NorthWest Parking Management’s Car Parks.
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 NorthWest Parking Management.
You need to send an email to appeals@nwpmanagement.co.uk for making a formal representation to your NorthWest Parking Management PCN. This email must mention your email address, your PCN number, your vehicle registration number, your name, address and telephone number. You also need to upload evidence documents or videos clearly stating its title in the file name. These attachment titles should be mentioned along with the grounds of your appeal so that they can be easily located and matched with your form.
You can mention a checklist of your evidence material at the end of your email to ensure that all your uploaded attachments are brought to the attention of the CEO viewing your appeal.
You can attach different kinds of files as evidence of your PCN challenge but it is advisable to first convert your videos into photographs to upload onto the Northwest Parking Management website. Photo and video evidence is the most convincing kind of evidence to prove your case to NorthWest Parking, you can just upload the snapshots from your video to show how the contravention never happened
If you feel any discrepancies between your PCN challenge and your available evidence or if you cannot match the evidence with your representation, you can wait an extra day or two and come back again to complete the form.
You cannot afford any mistakes in your NorthWest Parking Management PCN challenge as a weakly formulated case will fail to convince the car park management company and lead to a Notice of Rejection of Representations.
It is essential to upload authentic evidence material with your NorthWest Parking PCN challenge to describe your mitigating circumstances to NorthWest Parking and for explaining your point of view of the events which took place at the traffic violation scene..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)..
Another way to send in your NorthWest Parking PCN challenge is by mail. You can write down a formal representation on the Notice to Owner document and attach evidence documents or photographs to the form using a stapler or paper clip. Your letter should mention your NorthWest Parking Management PCN number, date of issue of the PCN, your vehicle registration number, and personal details.
Your PCN appeals form and all accompanying evidence documents (enclosed in an envelope) need to be sent to:
Appeals Department,
NorthWest Parking Management Ltd,
1st Floor Rutherford House,
Warrington Road,
Birchwood,
Warrington,
Cheshire,
WA3 6ZH
NorthWest Parking will respond to your Parking PCN appeal and your NorthWest Parking Management PCN will be cancelled or you will be sent a Notice of Rejection or Representations, which needs to be received promptly in order to contest the notice with the Parking on Private Land Appeals service.
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.
Which parking contravention codes are enforced in NorthWest Parking Management car parks?
The following parking contravention codes are enforced in NorthWest Parking Management 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 NorthWest Parking Management 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 NorthWest Parking Management run 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 NorthWest Parking Management parking lot 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 NorthWest Parking Management parking lot 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 NorthWest Parking Management run parking lot 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 NorthWest Parking Management run car park, with its engine on (where prohibited)
How Can I Pay My NorthWest Parking Management PCN?
You can pay your NorthWest Parking Management PCN by BACS to the Account Number : 90143257 and Sort Code: 82-11-07. You can mention your PCN Number as your payment reference in order to get the payment entered to your PCN account.
Another way to pay your NorthWest Parking Management PCN is by calling on their automated payments hotline. You need to dial the following number to connect to NorthWest Parking’s payments system: 0330 236 896.
Next, you need to enter your payment card details on the call as well as your card’s billing address. Your vehicle registration number and NorthWest Parking Management PCN number are also needed to complete your payment. This automated payments hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What happens if I don’t pay my NorthWest Parking Management 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 NorthWest Parking Management make you legally bound to respect them while using the company’s parking zones.
If you neither pay your NorthWest Parking Management 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 Enforcement agents or Bailiffs. Your actions will also result in the filing of a court order (for recovery of debts) against you by NorthWest Parking Management.
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 “NorthWest Parking Management” dismisses my appeal?
You can dispute your Notice of Rejection of Representations from NorthWest Parking Management 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 NorthWest Parking. 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 NorthWest Parking Management 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 NorthWest Parking’s legal proposition.
You also need to remember that you must submit a challenge to your Notice of Rejection from NorthWest Parking Management to POPLA within 28 days of receiving your Notice of Rejection. If your letter doesnt reach POPLA within 28 days, your hard work and time invested into creating the challenge will be wasted and so will the evidence you have sent with your letter.
How can I submit my challenge to the Notice of Rejection of Representations from NorthWest Parking Management by using the online form?
In order to submit your challenge to the Notice of Rejection of Representations from NorthWest Parking 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 NorthWest Parking Management. 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 Northwest Parking PCN Number, your 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 NorthWest Parking Management.
Once POPLA is satisfied that NorthWest Parking’s case has been refuted outright by your representation of the matter, the adjudicator (or assessor) of your case will probably make the final decision in your case.
This decision will be sent to both you and to NorthWest Parking Management via email simultaneously. If the decision by POPLA is made in your favour the NorthWest Parking 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 NW Parking Management.
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 NorthWest Parking Management and you which are representing opposing viewpoints of the situation.
Conclusion
This blog post addressed the question “How Can I Challenge A NW Parking Ltd PCN?” You need to have video clips of your visits to NorthWest Parking’s car parks in order to prove that your contravention didn’t occur. Similarly for supporting any other grounds for your PCN challenge, you will also require concrete evidence such as your pay and display ticket or a medical certificate to prove your mitigating circumstances.