Britannia Parking PCN Portswood Centre, Souhtampton

LoneStarState

Hi

The company in question who manage the car park are CBRE. If you google CBRE Southampton you will get as first/second result a website specifically for the CBRE office in Southampton. On their homepage they have a number of director profiles with email addresses you can contact. Start from the top to kick the hornet's nest being honest about your circumstances, your past patronage that is now in jeopardy (and maybe the patronage you showed on the night of the alleged parking contravention). Also that you talked to management of Portswood Centre businesses who are equally dismayed by the parking operator's actions. Add that if this email isn't within their remit could they kindly pass this on to the appropriate individual in the relevant asset/property management team.

I personally don't want to give the email address of the exact individual in question as if you've found the company online etc and contacted a director it shows that you've been irritated by the parking charge to research and attempt to find the right person.

The individual who you will hopefully be passed on to is a reasonable chap so don't go too mad on the anger, but do affirm the genuine distress this is causing you (particularly from BW Legal who have no doubt been threatening via post/email and possibly telephone).

Waxy666

Just a heads up that Portswood has recently changed ownership. CMRE has sold it to "KMP Solutions", a quick google search with find them for you.

Mahershalalhashbaz

Following the helpful contributions of Lone Star State and Waxy66, I have spoken with managers at both CBRE and KMP Solutions.

As I understand it from my conversations, CBRE were managing Portswood Car Park on behalf of an investment fund, but the property was sold to an investor over the last year. KMP Solutions are still dealing with the financials of the transfer, and have so far had no dealings with Britannia (and have not signed a new contract with Britannia). KMP Solutions are thus not in a position at present to cancel PCNs issued by Britannia.

If as is widely reported, the car park is being managed in a way that has an adverse impact on customers to local businesses and on the businesses themselves, then that is something KMP Solutions will want to take into account when considering parking arrangements in the future.

Umkomaas

KMP Solutions are still dealing with the financials of the transfer, and have so far had no dealings with Britannia (and have not signed a new contract with Britannia). KMP Solutions are thus not in a position at present to cancel PCNs issued by Britannia.

Thanks for above update.

It would appear that Britannia may no longer have a valid contract in place to issue parking charges.

MistyZ

Mahershalalhashbaz wrote: »

If as is widely reported, the car park is being managed in a way that has an adverse impact on customers to local businesses and on the businesses themselves, then that is something KMP Solutions will want to take into account when considering parking arrangements in the future.

We can but hope that landowner complaints may help to influence such decisions.

I know that 2 of us here successfully complained to CBRE and that another member will very likely be complaining to the new company. Both of us who complained to CBRE were pleasantly surprised by how helpful they were which suggests that they knew all too well that Britannia's activities were damaging to a small high street that really needs footfall.

LoneStarState

Thanks guys for feeding this back. Definitely throws an interesting hypothetical around whether Britannia now actually have authority to manage the car park.

Of course I haven't seen the actual landowner contract they had with CBRE but the grainy "witness statement" they churned up at Popla during my appeal shows a redacted signature of someone purportedly representing CBRE (and CBRE only).

In light of this I would very STRONGLY recommend that anyone who reads this thread and has received a recent PCN from Britannia at the Portswood Centre, get straight onto contacting CBRE and KMP Solutions to see when supposed transfer of ownership/management agent of the Portswood Centre occurred. If CBRE and KMP corroborate the dates when this happened then it would seem after that date, Britannia do not have authority to issue PCNs at that site, assuming KMP have no idea who Britannia are and do not have a contract with them. This sets you up for a strong Popla appeal and also potentially for the more adventurous, a DPA small court claim in addition to robust complaints to the BPA and DVLA.

This is also an opportunity to make the new management agents aware of how Britannia have treated "management" of the Portswood car park, i.e. as nothing more than a honeytrap for unsuspecting genuine Portswood customers. It might also be a chance to voice improvement on car park terms (longer max stay period....or maybe an initial free stay followed by pay and display or even a pay on exit system (who'd have thought such a thing existed!).

MistyZ

LoneStar, I thought CBRE cancelled the PCN? Is that correct?

I'm thinking that anyone who has a PCN from Britannia that dates from before, during or after the land management transfer should not allow CBRE / KMP to fob them off with any reference to contractual complications. I am sure somebody in either or both companies has the authority to tell Britannia to 'let it go'. After all, if the contract situation is a mess, why would they want that aired in court?

Horrible, toxic little car park. Always wondered why it was so empty. Wiser now.

LoneStarState

Hi MistyZ

Correct, CBRE cancelled it but that was when an LBC had been sent by BWLegal so I saw the evidence pack at Popla. I agree that no one should stand for CBRE fobbing you off and that cancellation should always be tried and tried again. But there may be a time when they genuinely cannot cancel the tickets but Britannia may still wheel out the CBRE witness statement at Popla. If Britannia continue to "manage" that car park and claim they have authorisation from CBRE at Popla, that's where my above post could be useful. Would Britannia be brazen enough to do this? Not sure. Ideally we need to find out when this supposed changeover formally occurs and whether Britannia continue snapping VRMs at the site without evidence of a new contract authorising them to do so from the new management agents.

MistyZ wrote: »

I am sure somebody in either or both companies has the authority to tell Britannia to 'let it go'. After all, if the contract situation is a mess, why would they want that aired in court?

Their love of money would be my only reasoning and if they know they won't get a contract renewal, then maybe they will consider a quick final spongeing of unsuspecting customers before they disappear. That and the fact the risk of someone being gutsy enough to go to court vs all the potential people who may pay up straight away.

Appreciate I'm putting on my big cynic hat, but with this industry it wouldn't surprise. These are the sort of companies who ignore contact from MPs, the same MPs who collectively have a strong influence in lawmaking, and yet parking parasites still treat them with contempt.

LoneStarState

Just as an aside, I used to live very very close to this small car park which slightly reminds me of Portswood in its size and the sort of retail outlets it serves. The abuse by UKCPM there was abhorrent although I guess I'm not surprised given their IPC AOS membership.

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2017/03/coxeter-house-get-rid-of-uk-cpm-due-to.html

C500

Hello guys,

Can somebody pm me the details of the helpful person at CBRE as I've had little luck from them .
They have so far fobbed me off with "we are no longer agents for that site "

Thanks
C500