Private Parking Charge

SalveForOldSores

Received a £70 private parking  charge notice today from agents acting for the City Of London.
 I'm advised that this relates to  my unpaid use of a car-park at Burnham Beeches Park, Buckinghamshire.
On contacting the park office today, I was told that the conditions regarding use of this car park been changed during the last lockdown so that they  now require payment for weekday use of the car park - previously its was free weekdays. The Park office also told me that new charging regime was implemented at the end of November/early December  2020 and that  temporary signage was put up roundabout that time.

Of course I was unable to see the signage  as  I was observing the lockdown from late November 2020 and hadn't been visiting the park. I only resumed visits at the end of April this year.

Stuck in an E-mail complaint ,PM  today, to the parking control agent, District Enforcement Limited  (Copied to the Park Office),  requesting review/cancellation of the charge, including an explanation that I've  previously been declared Extremely Clinically Vulnerable by HMG under the COVID provisions due to two long-standing medical conditions (One of which I'm still receiving hospital attention for),  only for a reply to be returned literally minutes later saying that the case had been reviewed and that the parking charge still applied.

Seems extremely unfair and sharp practice to me.

D_P_Dance

Read this and complain to your MP.

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act#:~:text=Protected characteristics,-Find out more&text=These are age, disability, gender,, sex, and sexual orientation.

Have you read the newbies?  

Coupon-mad

from agents acting for the City Of London.

Can you show us the letters from DE?  They say they are working for the City of London, yet issuing private parking charges in a park?

Stuck in an E-mail complaint ,PM  today, to the parking control agent, District Enforcement Limited  (Copied to the Park Office),  requesting review/cancellation of the charge, including an explanation that I've  previously been declared Extremely Clinically Vulnerable by HMG under the COVID provisions due to two long-standing medical conditions (One of which I'm still receiving hospital attention for),  only for a reply to be returned literally minutes later saying that the case had been reviewed and that the parking charge still applied.

Good complaint.

Fruitcake

According to the website, the southern half of the park is owned by the Corporation of London but parking is run by DE Ltd there.

Parking is free for disabled badge holders (unusual for a PPC) but badge holders must also register each car used with DEL That sounds like a breach of the EA 2010 to me.

SalveForOldSores

Its City of London Corporation administered land (They may own it as well) so its feasible . . and the person in the Park Office I spoke to said they'd installed an ANPR camera on the park exit (Must be well hidden, cause I didn't see it). Park office haven't replied yet. I don't see how the parking company can dismiss the complaint without consulting them, given that the Park Office were copied in on the complaint.
Perhaps I should check with Mansion House to see if its legit ?

KeithP

SalveForOldSores said:

Its City of London Corporation administered land...

If the City of London Corporation is part of the Common Council of the City of London (or vice versa), it looks like the land may not be 'relevant land' as defined under POFA.

Coupon-mad

Yep, but it seems the OP has already admitted to driving?

SalveForOldSores

Presume if it wasn't private land, then they should be issuing a penalty charge notice ?

KeithP

No, if a car park is not 'relevant land' under POFA, it means that any driver's liability for parking cannot be transferred to the keeper. In other words, if they don't know who the driver is then it becomes very difficult for the company to make a charge stick to the keeper.

Fruitcake

SalveForOldSores said:

Presume if it wasn't private land, then they should be issuing a penalty charge notice ?

A private unregulated company cannot issue penalties or fines. Whether the City/Corporation of London can is another matter, but DEL cannot do so on their behalf.

SalveForOldSores

How about I send a cheque for £1.50 (The usual charge) direct to the Lord Mayor , with a covering letter asking him to explain why, if this charge is not a fine,  his council has authorised such a huge difference between the usual fee and the "Not penalty" fee (£70) and then publish the letter and response on here ?
But then again, why bother,  there can be no morality, only  petty legal excuses, in an establishment that recently allowed care home residents to needlessly succumb courtesy of COVID.