Park Direct UK Ltd PCN, ANPR, NTK sent 135+ days after event at Retail Park, IPC/IAS firm!

AlleyCat_2

Hi All

Here are the particulars of this PCN that I just received (16th Jan 26) in the post!

PCN Number: XXXXXX
Vehicle Registration:  XXXXXX
Location: Farnham Rd Retail Park SL1 4XB
Notice service Date: 09.01.26

Event Date: 27.08.25

Issued by:  Park Direct UK Ltd, PO Box 4777, Iver, SL1 0BX  [ 0203 866 5774]

I received no window ticket so have assumed ANPR. This is a free to park car park with 3 stores (Aldi, Pets@Home, Poundland). Before Aldi arrived, there were no restrictions on parking here.

I received no notification of my car overstaying by 14 mins until I received this NTK in the post. This took place over 4 months ago. On private land - at a retail park, owned by Managing Agent SEGRO.

I spoke to the Manager of Poundland today who informed me they have not been able to help their own staff to contest the PCN's they had received from parking here let alone their customers. Poundland advised me to contact SEGRO.

Here is my draft to David Sleath the CEO of SEGRO as my Plan A attempt. (If this does not work, I'd really value some more experienced eyes taking a look over my Plan B attempt to appeal the PCN!)

Dear David

I am writing to you as the CEO of the managing agent SEGRO for Farnham Rd Retail Park SL1 4XB with a complaint about a parking charge, which I would like you to have cancelled, as follows:

PCN Number: XXXXXX
Vehicle Registration:  XXXXXX
Location: Farnham Rd Retail Park SL1 4XB
Notice service Date: 09.01.26

Event Date: 27.08.25

Issued by:  Park Direct UK Ltd, PO Box 4777, Iver, SL1 0BX  [ 0203 866 5774]

As the keeper of the vehicle I have just been issued a Notice To Keeper with a parking charge of £100 for my car being parked in the Retail Park on 27 August 2025 from 17:24:31 to 19:39:19 for a duration of 2 hrs and 14 mins, exceeding the 2 hr limit by 14 minutes.

However this doesn't take into account any consideration time, time spent parking, or time leaving the car park. Taking into account the industry usually applies a grace period to allow for these actions, the apparent infringement doesn't seem fair for a customer who enters one of your retail sites and parks up in good faith.

The date that parking notice occurred is listed as 27th AUGUST 2025 and the notice serve date is listed as 9th JANUARY 2026: this is a minimum of 135 days as I only received it in the post on Fri 16th January 2026 - Over 4 months later! 

The use of ANPR at this site seems a deliberate and predatory way of trapping and persecuting customers and the fact that the notice was not served until over 4 months later, means that there was no chance to respond to this 'fine' in a timely manner, making this notice feel like a carefully planned attack - Instead of due-process, Park Direct UK seem intent on harassing people for extortionate amounts of money at a time of increasingly high cost of living.

I contend that Park Direct have spectacularly failed to deliver the PCN within the relevant period of 14 days as prescribed by section 9 (4) of the Protection Of Freedoms Act 2012 and as such there can be no keeper liability. 

I also note that at this site, there are no tickets or computerised displays that tell you what time you entered and should leave (as there are in some other car parks). There are also no highly visible clocks in the retail park on which one can easily check the time you entered or monitor whether one is approaching the limit. 

Furthermore, as this is a free car park, the charge being made does not reflect a true estimate of the loss incurred - The amount of the charge, £100.00, is disproportionate to the loss incurred and is punitive, contravening the Unfair Terms Act 1997.

I am so incredibly disappointed to have been sent a PCN charge for a SEGRO site that contains so many stores (Aldi, Poundland, Pets at Home) that I have otherwise recommended countless times to friends and family to go and visit and spend their hard earned money, but feel like I can no longer do so as no-one I know has got a spare £100!  At a time of serious financial austerity the amount of this PCN charge is one that I can only describe as audacious.

I wish to acknowledge however, that I support in principle the need for parking control. Inappropriate parking should be curtailed, whether it be the avoidance of paying for a parking space in a pay car park, significantly overstaying, parking in a disabled bay if not disabled, parking dangerously out-with a bay, or causing a blockage or hazard by careless parking. There would have been no complaint if this PCN was because of one of those infractions.

As per the company website, SEGRO seem keen to demonstrate all the ways in which it represents the interests of retail and other commercial sites in Slough. This will surely include keeping honest, paying customers at shopping sites like the one on Farnham Road happy and hoping they will return to use the services.

Because the parking industry is facing imminent statutory regulation, this is a hot topic for Members of Parliament. If you are unable to help with my request for support please note that I will be forwarding this matter on to Mr Tan Desai, the constituency MP for Slough and naming SEGRO as the managing agent who employ Park Direct UK at this retail site.

In light of the information provided above, I kindly request that you cancel the Parking Charge - as CEO of SEGRO, I believe you have the opportunity now to take proactive action and demonstrate to your clients, the retailers, that you genuinely have the best interests of their customers at heart, by promoting fair and appropriate parking controls and cancelling this punitive PCN.

Looking froward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours Sincerely

My name here

Gr1pr

Stick to plan A

Dont bother with plans B & C , wait for a Letter of Claim possibly followed by a Money Claim 

FYI, they aren't using POFA2012,  if you did appeal,  so they are using the default 7 months rule

Coupon-mad

Make the complaint far shorter!

Remove ALL this:

"Notice service Date: 09.01.26

Event Date: 27.08.25

Issued by:  Park Direct UK Ltd, PO Box 4777, Iver, SL1 0BX  [ 0203 866 5774]

As the keeper of the vehicle I have just been issued a Notice To Keeper with a parking charge of £100 for my car being parked in the Retail Park on 27 August 2025 from 17:24:31 to 19:39:19 for a duration of 2 hrs and 14 mins, exceeding the 2 hr limit by 14 minutes.

However this doesn't take into account any consideration time, time spent parking, or time leaving the car park. Taking into account the industry usually applies a grace period to allow for these actions, the apparent infringement doesn't seem fair for a customer who enters one of your retail sites and parks up in good faith."

and remove:

"I contend that Park Direct have spectacularly failed to deliver the PCN within the relevant period of 14 days as prescribed by section 9 (4) of the Protection Of Freedoms Act 2012 and as such there can be no keeper liability. 

I also note that at this site, there are no tickets or computerised displays that tell you what time you entered and should leave (as there are in some other car parks). There are also no highly visible clocks in the retail park on which one can easily check the time you entered or monitor whether one is approaching the limit. 

Furthermore, as this is a free car park, the charge being made does not reflect a true estimate of the loss incurred - The amount of the charge, £100.00, is disproportionate to the loss incurred and is punitive, contravening the Unfair Terms Act 1997."

and remove:

"I wish to acknowledge however, that I support in principle the need for parking control. Inappropriate parking should be curtailed, whether it be the avoidance of paying for a parking space in a pay car park, significantly overstaying, parking in a disabled bay if not disabled, parking dangerously out-with a bay, or causing a blockage or hazard by careless parking. There would have been no complaint if this PCN was because of one of those infractions.

As per the company website, SEGRO seem keen to demonstrate all the ways in which it represents the interests of retail and other commercial sites in Slough. This will surely include keeping honest, paying customers at shopping sites like the one on Farnham Road happy and hoping they will return to use the services."

And keep this (below) but make this less ChatGPT-speak! Too many unnecessary (bot-style) long words

"In light of the information provided above, I kindly request that you cancel the Parking Charge - as CEO of SEGRO, I believe you have the opportunity now to take proactive action and demonstrate to your clients, the retailers, that you genuinely have the best interests of their customers at heart, by promoting fair and appropriate parking controls and cancelling this punitive PCN."

Change this to a time-bound request:

Looking froward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

AlleyCat_2

Coupon-mad said:

Make the complaint far shorter!

Remove ALL this:

"Notice service Date: 09.01.26

Event Date: 27.08.25

Issued by:  Park Direct UK Ltd, PO Box 4777, Iver, SL1 0BX  [ 0203 866 5774]

As the keeper of the vehicle I have just been issued a Notice To Keeper with a parking charge of £100 for my car being parked in the Retail Park on 27 August 2025 from 17:24:31 to 19:39:19 for a duration of 2 hrs and 14 mins, exceeding the 2 hr limit by 14 minutes.

However this doesn't take into account any consideration time, time spent parking, or time leaving the car park. Taking into account the industry usually applies a grace period to allow for these actions, the apparent infringement doesn't seem fair for a customer who enters one of your retail sites and parks up in good faith."

and remove:

"I contend that Park Direct have spectacularly failed to deliver the PCN within the relevant period of 14 days as prescribed by section 9 (4) of the Protection Of Freedoms Act 2012 and as such there can be no keeper liability. 

I also note that at this site, there are no tickets or computerised displays that tell you what time you entered and should leave (as there are in some other car parks). There are also no highly visible clocks in the retail park on which one can easily check the time you entered or monitor whether one is approaching the limit. 

Furthermore, as this is a free car park, the charge being made does not reflect a true estimate of the loss incurred - The amount of the charge, £100.00, is disproportionate to the loss incurred and is punitive, contravening the Unfair Terms Act 1997."

and remove:

"I wish to acknowledge however, that I support in principle the need for parking control. Inappropriate parking should be curtailed, whether it be the avoidance of paying for a parking space in a pay car park, significantly overstaying, parking in a disabled bay if not disabled, parking dangerously out-with a bay, or causing a blockage or hazard by careless parking. There would have been no complaint if this PCN was because of one of those infractions.

As per the company website, SEGRO seem keen to demonstrate all the ways in which it represents the interests of retail and other commercial sites in Slough. This will surely include keeping honest, paying customers at shopping sites like the one on Farnham Road happy and hoping they will return to use the services."

And keep this (below) but make this less ChatGPT-speak! Too many unnecessary (bot-style) long words

"In light of the information provided above, I kindly request that you cancel the Parking Charge - as CEO of SEGRO, I believe you have the opportunity now to take proactive action and demonstrate to your clients, the retailers, that you genuinely have the best interests of their customers at heart, by promoting fair and appropriate parking controls and cancelling this punitive PCN."

Change this to a time-bound request:

Looking froward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

TYSM  for this - exactly the insight/ experience I was looking for!! 🤗🙏🏽

AlleyCat_2

A wee update for you - received today after sending another email, but from another higher up exec - no response from the CEO :I

"I received your email yesterday and I’m also aware that you emailed our CEO on Monday regarding the same ticket. I am investigating the content of your email and will update you as soon as I can. Park Direct fully manage the parking control at this site and therefore we will need to liaise with them to understand the details of the parking ticket.

 

Kind regards

Jo"


I am not hopeful this will lead to a cancellation of the ticket as it reads like they don't know they have the ability to cancel tickets at *their* discretion!?

Any advice for follow up from me gratefully received, if not just 'wait for their next reply' 😅

AlleyCat_2

Sadly it's as I predicted - this Managing Agent has no interest in cancelling this PCN!!

"I have now received an update from Park Direct. The reason for the delay between the contravention date (27 August 2025) and the notice service date (9 January 2026) was a delay in receiving DVLA keeper data from DVLA, and the notice could only be sent once that data had been received from DVLA. It is unusual but can happen where there is a delay as a result of DVLA.

 

The charge does remain enforceable in line with parking terms, but an appeal can be submitted to Park Direct should you have any grounds for an appeal. Details of the appeals process should have been included within the details provided with the PCN"

 Kind regardsJo

Given that the advice here is 'do not pay but do reply', I am assuming I 'soft appeal' the PCN with Park Direct just to get to the next step??

Any words of wisdom greatly appreciated at this point! 🙏🏽

kryten3000

As Park Direct are IPC members you'll get no realistic appeal.

Your primary defence is that the NTK was spectacularly late and definitely out of time for keeper liability.

Just wait for the Letter of Claim, let them know if you move.

ChirpyChicken

kryten3000 said:

As Park Direct are IPC members you'll get no realistic appeal.

Your primary defence is that the NTK was spectacularly late and definitely out of time for keeper liability.

Just wait for the Letter of Claim, let them know if you move.

As above 
No keeper liability 
End of
And there is no soft appeal or next step.

Coupon-mad

But I would put in a SAR to their DPO, specifically asking for the DVLA KADOE look up date and what they got back and when.

DO NOT tip off the DPO as to why you are asking. No mention of what the landowner has said!

Just ask the above question under your SAR rights. Try to flush out if they lied to the managing agent. The DVLA do not take 4 months to provide keeper details.

AlleyCat_2

Coupon-mad said:

But I would put in a SAR to their DPO, specifically asking for the DVLA KADOE look up date and what they got back and when.

DO NOT tip off the DPO as to why you are asking. No mention of what the landowner has said!

Just ask the above question under your SAR rights. Try to flush out if they lied to the managing agent. The DVLA do not take 4 months to provide keeper details.

taken from their website

You have the right to submit a Subject Access Request and this can be done via an email request to our DPO. We will need to obtain proof of your identity before providing you with information we hold about you. You can do so by writing to:  6-9 The Square, Hayes, Uxbridge UB11 1FW.

dpo@parkdirectukltd.co.uk


On a separate but possibly related note (?) I wondered what your opinion is of the following statement taken directly from their website also:

"Sharing Your Personal Data

Your personal data may be shared for the payment of a parking tariff or charge with: third parties, such as a payment facilitator, an external software provider, debt recovery companies, solicitors, The IPC, court and high court officers/bailiffs where necessary to ensure compliance with your obligations under the contract. We will not transfer your personal data out of the EU."

*My underlining*

Jame4ters

If they want to collect a debt that is due then you would expect that phrase but don't let it distract you from submitting a SAR to the DPO