Free parking for 2 hours PCN

brigbif

Hello!

I have had the misfortune of needing to use this resource before to assist with a PCN where I was genuinely in the right (followed their bs terms).

This time is a wee bit different.

EuroCarPark, retail park, 2 hours free parking with a valid ticket.

My dad and stepmum came to visit me and we went to a retail park which I use literally every other week as I work nearby.

We left the car and returned in an hour, but in my excitement of seeing my family, totally forgot that we had to have a ticket from the machine for our free 2 hours to count.

After an hour we returned and there was a PCN on the dash. I quickly printed a ticket (if anything else to evidence that we were in for less than the allocated 2 hours) and searched for the parking warden. With no luck I popped into both of the shops in the retail park we visited that day with my receipts. I laid on the blah blah I come here every week and I was just in your shop and now I have a PCN can you help?

Both times the staff members couldn’t help. One said to ignore it, one said that they couldn’t do this for every which customer that complains.

The PCN say observation time 12:32 and issue time 12:47. We returned to the car at exactly 13:30.
We did not leave the car right away, and the car park was gridlocked it was so busy.

So, would the following seem acceptable (based on the newbies thread and other interactions with the lovely folk in here):

1st contact the retailers via email and explain (perhaps they will be more willing to help, perhaps I am too hopeful).

If this fails, could I go through the appeals process and argue that we had not left the car right away and that the ticket was issued WHILE we were actually at the busy ticket machines? And that the warden was nowhere in site as we returned to the car?
I’m wondering if this is a legitimate angle? 

I feel terrible as I do genuinely go to these shops often and my dad, whose car it was, is a massive worrier and he has had a very difficult last few weeks health-wise, I am kicking myself for forgetting the ticket.

Any thoughts?

many thanks again folks  

brigbif

I also have my google timelines turned on since the last time, so I can evidence the beginning of my time there (it’s says 11:32 because this is the closest shop/area, but that still brings us within the 2 hours - although this does not help the fact we did not have an actual ticket…but I think the purpose of that is to evidence that you have been there under the 2 hours for free parking.)

Gr1pr

If there is more than one retailer,  then it must be a retail park,  in which case the businesses may be tenants,  not landowners or landlords 

Plan A would be to contact the retail park management company or landlord or landowner and get it cancelled ASAP 

The businesses may help, but may not have the authority,  so try any and all avenues first, ASAP 

The rules and parking contract are on the signs,  plus the Joint code of practice too

The acid test for any appeal would be,  was there a breach of the parking contract and is there any liability for the driver or keeper 

If people are allowed 120 minutes by obtaining a free ticket  ( or a paid for ticket  ) then a minimum 10 minutes grace period is allowed,  making 130 minutes , longer if its gridlocked 

Is it a windscreen pcn or a postal PCN   ?

What is the exact alleged contravention  on it  ?  Not authorised,  ?  Or overstay   ?

brigbif

Gr1pr said:

If there is more than one retailer,  then it must be a retail park,  in which case the businesses may be tenants,  not landowners or landlords 

Plan A would be to contact the retail park management company or landlord or landowner and get it cancelled ASAP 

The businesses may help, but may not have the authority,  so try any and all avenues first, ASAP 

The rules and parking contract are on the signs,  plus the Joint code of practice too

The acid test for any appeal would be,  was there a breach of the parking contract and is there any liability for the driver or keeper 

If people are allowed 120 minutes by obtaining a free ticket  ( or a paid for ticket  ) then a minimum 10 minutes grace period is allowed,  making 130 minutes , longer if its gridlocked 

Is it a windscreen pcn or a postal PCN   ?

What is the exact alleged contravention  on it  ?  Not authorised,  ?  Or overstay   ?

Hi Gr1pr, nice to see your name again!

Would EuroCarPark be the retail park management company?

I have emailed customer services and CCD in the CEO of Matalan for the visit to that store, and just emailed M&S also (both stores I visited).

the sign says “2 hours free parking * with a valid ticket” which we did not have, oops.

We did not breach extending our stay past 2 hours (it was less than), but we did not have the required parking ticket. Of course, they would have no way of knowing this, for all they know I could have parked since their last sweep of the car park! However, My google timelines has me there at a time which is still within the 2 hours.

We were gridlocked, and as it was so busy the warden very much would have seen the state of the car park! One could argue that much of the time was spent waiting for traffic to move and to get a space 👀?

Windscreen PCN

Breach of terms & conditions: no valid pay and display/permit was purchase for this vehicle.

Many cheers again Gr1pr

Gr1pr

Euro Car Park are the contracting private parking company,  acting on behalf of their employer 

The employer could be the retail park management company or landlord or even the landowner 

Seems to me that if a 2 hour ticket was obtained before leaving,  then the parking period was covered and the pcn is breaking the new 2025 ban on the  5 minute rule

Try to get it cancelled by the retail park management company,  ASAP,  plus wait for a few more replies,  seeing as it's a windscreen pcn 

brigbif

Just to confirm:

The PCN say observation time 12:32 and issue time 12:47. We returned to the car and printed the ticket at exactly 13:30.
as the ticket was printed within the 2 hours, the parking period was covered?

I’m unfamiliar with the 5 minute rule.

From looking online, the management company looks to be the RYDEN LLC and city council (I am confused as I thought ECP meant it was private? Or would they just be managing on BEHALF of the council and this other company?).

eternally grateful for your help this time and last  

brigbif

I’ve also written the following

Dear retail park management companies,

Today I visited the XXX Retail Park premises (ECP site XXX) which I can see online is managed by RYDEN LLC and XXX City Council.

Date and time 20/09/2025 @ ~12:40-13:30.

I visited the site today as I do every other day during my lunch breaks or after work as I work for the XXX just around the corner at XXX. Today I was visited by family and we used their vehicle to get to the store. The retail park was extremely busy today, and it took us quite some time to find parking as the carpark was in a gridlock situation due to the volume of cars leaving and entering, so it was a considerable time before we actually got parked.

This is the first day out I have had with my father and stepmother since my father’s heart attack 2 months ago and we came to M&S for some lunch, and clothes as well as Matalan, spending well over £100 (please see receipts and google timelines below to evidence most of the spending and the google timelines to evidence our movements).

Upon returning to the car from the Matalan store, we got to the car and noticed that we had a parking charge notice. I immediately ran to find a ticket machine (if anything to corroborate the time we were LEAVING with my google timelines).

I searched the entirety of the car park for the warden twice over and could not find them, so I returned to the stores. I spoke to the managers of both: 

Matalan said that they are unable with parking charge notices but that I could also “just ignore it” which I was quite taken aback by as we had JUST 7 minutes prior (shown by my receipt and the ticket I quickly printed to evidence the time we left) after they and I both spent money in a store I visit frequently.

M&S said they CAN help, but they can’t help “every single customer that walks through the door”.

The PCN actually says that the observation time was 12:32 and the issue time was 12:47.

I obtained my parking ticket within the 2 hour period (see below) at 13:30 - so JUST under an hour.

I do not think it is reasonable to pay £60-£100 after providing business to the retailers in the retailer park (of over £100) as a consequence. This is the first time this has happened since I have been at the retail park and I am pleading that as the retail management, you can assist me in having this PCN retracted or cancelled, as my experience with EuroCarPark appeals process in the past has been that it has escalated to debt collection agencies. This caused me and unfortunate amount of stress and so I would very much like to avoid dealing with them as my belief is that they acted in poor faith in previous instances.

Note that the vehicle was my father’s, and as a result of his ailments I do not wish for this to cause him any unnecessary stress from what was meant to be a nice family outing which brought business to the retailers in the area.

The vehicle registration is XXX.

The PCN No is XXX.

Please see my receipts, printed ticket and google timelines below to evidence that I brought custom to the stores and left within the allocated 2 hours free parking period. I would hate for this to deter me from future visits to the site as I enjoy visiting these on my daily walks to de-stress from what the working day brings, but I cannot afford to spend money here if it is accompanied by fines of such a ludicrous nature and actually causes more stress.

Kind regards,

XXX

Attached ALL receipts, google timelines and the ticket I printed before we left 
the M&S receipt actually says 12:09, so I wonder if I should NOT include this, although it does still show us being there for less than 2 hours…

Gr1pr

Even if the landowner is the council, it's leased to someone, the someone has employed the private parking company,  ECP,  So not on behalf of the council,  more likely to be Ryden or a landlord like Savills or JLL, or whoever employed ECP

YES it's a minefield,  but my advice doesn't change,  because Matalan and M& S are paying rent to somebody,  it's that somebody that your complaint goes to

As for the 5 minute rule, it doesn't look like you have researched it because it's here on mse 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2025/02/private-parking-charges-five-minute-rule/

Although it mentions full payment,  it mentions that the authorisation must be obtained before leaving and cover the full period on site. The fact that in your case you didn't need to pay for the ticket doesn't seem to matter in my opinion 

brigbif

Gr1pr said:

Even if the landowner is the council, it's leased to someone, the someone has employed the private parking company,  ECP,  So not on behalf of the council,  more likely to be Ryden or a landlord like Savills or JJJ, or whoever employed ECP

YES it's a minefield,  but my advice doesn't change,  because Matalan and M& S are paying rent to somebody,  it's that somebody that your complaint goes to

As for the 5 minute rule, it doesn't look like you have researched it because it's here on mse 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2025/02/private-parking-charges-five-minute-rule/

Although it mentions full payment,  it mentions that the authorisation must be obtained before leaving and cover the full period on site. The fact that in your case you didn't need to pay for the ticket doesn't seem to matter in my opinion 

Hiya! Yes, it appears I didn’t research the 5 minute rule 😣 thanks for linking that to me!

and excellent, I have sent the email now so will update any responses. Thanks again for yo ur prompt and helpful replies  

Ralph-y

for clarity the managing agents can normally be found listed at the bottom of any totems / advertising plinths at / in the retail park  ( a list of all the companies on the park) What is the name of the retail park?

brigbif

Ralph-y said:

for clarity the managing agents can normally be found listed at the bottom of any totems / advertising plinths at / in the retail park  ( a list of all the companies on the park)

Excellent! Again, I have clearly not done my research!
I will check on Monday on my way to work  
many thanks 😊