Legality of forestry commission "fines"

dannny_2

forestry commission are rolling out parking charges in a lot of their car parks.

They have displayed notices saying they will charge you £50 for non-display of a ticket.

Whats the Scottish and English legal take on this threat of a £50 charge?

Parking company is parking eye

www.picturehost.eu/uploads/8cc026f6fa6fad49ba41f4a3f75fe2a5_DSCF1120.JPG

esmerobbo

The forestry commision can use byelaws to impose parking regulations, however what they usually do is employ a PPC who issue a parking charges.

What have you received?

dannny_2

Nothing yet. I tend to park on the grass next to the verge now, or on the grass at the entrance to the car park before the sign.

Signs have just gone up now though.

Bit of a !!!!!! as if I walk in "changed to somewhere chargeable" for a couple of days, park in the car park, I'll obviously be "fined"

esmerobbo

Well as Glen Affric is in Scotland if its a PPC then you can ignore them if its parking charge and not a byelaw ticket.

However saying that I often go to a local forest and same thing applies, it does say on the ticket machine that all the receipts from parking go towards the upkeep of the forest, plus its only £2 per session so I have no problem paying.

Half_way

Theres not much substance in the OPs post.

Who/waht parking company are 'enforcing' these rules and who is issuing the £50 charge?

If you think theres something fishy going off, then you should be able to get the forestry comision to release/publish any contract with a private pakring company under the Freedom of information Act (FOI) http://www.forestry.gov.uk/foi

dannny_2

Will update wednesday evening with a photo of a sign detailing information.

esmerobbo wrote: »

it does say on the ticket machine that all the receipts from parking go towards the upkeep of the forest, plus its only £2 per session so I have no problem paying.

You would think they would use some of the £28 million scotland FC made selling off public wood land to private companies for that purpose. Also £2 a day soon mounts up.

esmerobbo

dannny wrote: »

You would think they would use some of the £28 million scotland FC made selling off public wood land to private companies for that purpose. Also £2 a day soon mounts up.

I agree if you're using it regularly, I only go 2/3 times a year so doesnt really worry me.

£28M would go someway to their upkeep I would imagine!

Iceweasel

I too would question the legality of this.

Although on the face of it a £2 or £3 a day charge for parking seems not too exorbitant - it is for access to a publicly owned amenity.

This will hit many pensioners, bird-watchers and dog-walkers, many of whom can ill afford an extra expense for what was a cost-free healthy pastime.

I would like to know exactly what by-laws they are using here - especially in Scotland.

The charge for parking is one aspect - the £50 'fine' for overstaying is another thing.

They have also introduced a £30 annual parking ticket.

I have the impression that this is just another money-making wheeze thought up by some anonymous pen-pusher.

It'll be interesting to see dannny's pics and find out who is 'policing' this.

dannny_2

I will post the actual signage on Wednesday, its parking eye, not the other scum ICES

Looking at http://maps.forestry.gov.uk/imf/imf.jsp?site=fcscotland_ext&

the actual piece of ground I now park at isn't listed as belonging to the forestry commission.

Few posts on

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=81239&st=20&start=20

Tigsteroonie

I knew that Forestry Commission England was charging for their car parks, but wasn't aware that Forestry Commission Scotland had started yet. (But then I've been away for 4 years now!)

Certainly looking at the Glen Affric pages, they still say that parking is free.

dannny_2

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

ICertainly looking at the Glen Affric pages, they still say that parking is free.

Seemingly that one went back to consultation. So my error. (typical example from top of head not one to be correct, nice YH up there though)

Rest of scotland definately in force.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=67089


'We operate 329 car parks across Scotland and 281 of them will remain free... that's 85 per cent of them. We are only charging at 45 car parks in total, and three forest drives.'
'We have been charging for car parking at a number of these forest sites for many years, so the whole concept of being charged for car parking is not new.'


However, previously they just stuck a note on the car asking you to pay, not enforcing it with a £50 "fine"

Fact is it will increase and the number of sites will increase too.