Britannia Parking PCN - Contract with dormant company?

Insolvenaut

Asking for a friend who got a PCN from Britannia Parking at Flamborough Main Car Park on 1.1.2025. My query is at the end of the story so feel free to skip to the end!

Basically they tried to pay at the machine but it was out of order with no instructions on what to do in the event the machine was broken or any other methods of payment. In addition, the entrance sign was missing. They stayed 20 minutes and a couple of weeks later got a letter demanding £60 from Britannia Parking. An appeal on the grounds of missing entrance sign and failure to have instructions on what to do if the machine was broken was rejected by Britannia Parking and POPLA. POPLA failed to acknowledge the pictures from my friend showing the entrance sign was missing, the payment machine was out of order and there were no instructions on what to do in this event.

So this is my query - POPLA sent my friend the submissions from Britannia Parking and it showed a contract between Flamborough Holidays Ltd and Britannia Parking, signed in May 2023 to commence in July 2023. However, when I checked at Companies House, Flamborough Holidays Ltd filed dormant accounts for the year up to 31 December 2021, 31 December 2022 and 31 December 2023. The accounts up to 31 December 2024 are due by 30 September 2025. Can a dormant company enter into a contract? Perhaps it is longer dormant? Is there any way I can check its status?

Bongo10

Company details are easy to find, and Flamborough Holidays Ltd appears to be active again:
FLAMBOROUGH HOLIDAYS LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

Bongo10

What might be more relevant is which Britannia company entity signed that contract and is it the same one that is noted on the PCN.  Britannia have a number of companies and don't always appear to be consistent in which does what.

Insolvenaut

Thanks so much. How did you spot Flamborough Holidays Ltd are active again? I can only see dormant accounts filed recently - including, it seems, when people were maybe getting fined which seems odd.

Castle

Bongo10 said:

Company details are easy to find, and Flamborough Holidays Ltd appears to be active again:
FLAMBOROUGH HOLIDAYS LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

That doesn't mean that they are definitely trading; it simply means, that the company is "alive" rather than in receivership or dissolved for example.

Insolvenaut

Apparently the contract between Flamborough Holidays Ltd and Britannia Parking is under company number 8187238, whilst the Parking Charge reminder shows 08182990. Is this something that is important?

Bongo10

Company details are important and the discrepancy should be part of any appeal.

Castle

Insolvenaut said:

Apparently the contract between Flamborough Holidays Ltd and Britannia Parking is under company number 8187238, whilst the Parking Charge reminder shows 08182990. Is this something that is important?

Yes, very important because 8187238 is Britannia Parking Services Ltd so Britannia Parking Group Ltd, (8182990), has no contract and furthermore, Flamborough Holidays Ltd are not the landowner anyway.

Insolvenaut

Castle said:

Insolvenaut said:

Apparently the contract between Flamborough Holidays Ltd and Britannia Parking is under company number 8187238, whilst the Parking Charge reminder shows 08182990. Is this something that is important?

Yes, very important because 8187238 is Britannia Parking Services Ltd so Britannia Parking Group Ltd, (8182990), has no contract and furthermore, Flamborough Holidays Ltd are not the landowner anyway.

Thank you! Do you know who the landowner might be? It all seems a bit odd, no entrance sign, payment machine not working, contract with a dormant company company (who is not the land owner) but PCN sent by another company. I wish life was more straightforward 

Castle

Insolvenaut said:

Thank you! Do you know who the landowner might be? It all seems a bit odd, no entrance sign, payment machine not working, contract with a dormant company company (who is not the land owner) but PCN sent by another company. I wish life was more straightforward 

I don't know who the current landowner is; but, back in April 2018, Flamborough Holidays Ltd sold its properties to Haven Leisure Ltd.

Coupon-mad

Castle said:

Insolvenaut said:

Apparently the contract between Flamborough Holidays Ltd and Britannia Parking is under company number 8187238, whilst the Parking Charge reminder shows 08182990. Is this something that is important?

Yes, very important because 8187238 is Britannia Parking Services Ltd so Britannia Parking Group Ltd, (8182990), has no contract .

This point has won a few cases in court. Britannia often make this error.