Northern Ireland - date change? - Smart parking

Unfair_charge

Hi,
I have (as registered keeper) received a Parking charge Notice from SMART parking Ltd. for £60 as the driver stayed 3 hours in a in a Retail Shopping Area car-park that states you should stay a maximum of 2 hours. This is the first time I have have ever been issued with this type of letter and having read a lot of posts about Northern Ireland parking fines, it seems the best thing to do is to ignore these altogether.
As most of these threads seem to have been started a number of months ago - I wanted to check as on the back of the notice it states:

"For parking charge notices issued for a breach of parking terms and conditions on private land in England and Wales on or after 1st October 2012, and in Scotland and Northern Ireland on or after 1st May 2019, an independent Adjuication Service (POPLA) is available if we reject your appeal."

is this 1st May 2019 date something new - is it something I should take note of?
Can someone advise me is this only if I appeal to SMART - or is it a way to get you to respond to them?
Thanks for any advice.

waamo

POPLA will only consider appeals from the driver or someone acting on their behalf in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A landowner cancellation is usually the best way forward.

Le_Kirk

The advice from the NEWBIE sticky is as follows: -

Q - ''I'm in Scotland/NI, so is the advice different?''

A - IF THE EVENT TOOK PLACE IN SCOTLAND OR NI, WE SUGGEST YOU DO (ALWAYS!) COMPLAIN TO STORE MANAGEMENT IF YOUR PCN IS FROM A RETAIL PARK, BUT DO NOT APPEAL, UNLESS YOUR CAR IS A COMPANY/HIRE/LEASED VEHICLE, IN WHICH CASE, APPEAL AS HIRER/LESSEE (SEE * AT THE FOOT OF THIS POST).

IN SCOTLAND/NI, CERTAINLY COMPLAIN TO THE RETAILERS, BUT IGNORE THE PARKING FIRM UNLESS YOU GET A CLAIM.

IN SCOTLAND THIS IS EXCEEDINGLY RARE, AND DEFENDABLE BY A KEEPER, WHO CURRENTLY HAS A FAR MORE PROTECTED POSITION IN LAW THAN AN ADMITTED DRIVER.

WHEN IGNORING IN SCOTLAND/NI, KEEP ALL LETTERS. DO NOT THROW THEM AWAY, FOR 5 YEARS.

As far as I am aware that advice is still good. If you don't appeal to the PPC and DON'T reveal who was driving, there is no second stage appeal to POPLA. First and most usually successful is a complaint to the landowner/retail park/cinema/store/whatever.

Redx

Either way, I would complain to the retail park management and get it cancelled asap

Then there is no faffing about with appeals

It's news to me, never seen it before

Fruitcake

The May date means that PoPLA is now available as a second stage appeal FOR DRIVERS in NI and Scotland where there was none available before.

The advice in the NEWBIES has not changed. The keeper should complain to the landowner/retailer but should NOT contact the scammers at all.
The only exception would be if the keeper got a court claim.

Unfair_charge

thank-you for your advice