PCN Advice - ParkingEye

[Jonb71]

I have received a PCN for staying too long in the car park at Aldi.

There are no ticket machines, I just saw a sign saying maximum stay 1 hour 30 minutes. The PCN shows 2 hours 4 minutes. Allowing for 10 minutes grace and due to Covid-19 restrictions a waiting queue of 15 minutes to enter the store then I am over by 9 minutes. I do not have any receipts for Aldi purchases made and do not use the Aldi regularly.

HOWEVER

Has the PCN being issued legally and is it enforceable? In the last 4 years I have been advised to ignore 2 other previous PCNs where ANPR cameras were used but no planning permission had been given for the warning signs even though person for the ANPR cameras had been provided.

I have looked at the Hounslow planning portal and cannot find any application for ANPR to be used or for any parking signage https://planning-lbhounslow.msapppro..._Advanced.aspx.

Do they need planning? Has the PCN issued illegally?

Should I follow similar successful advice and just ignore this PCN - I'll receive 3-4 threatening chasing letters, then a couple from the same address but saying they're now a debt recovery agent and then a final few saying I may be taken to court, which they then normally stop sending altogether after c. 6 months.

Do I do this or on this occasion is it different and do I just pay the £40 reduced charge request now. I am not intending to write to Aldi or send anything in to ParkingEye or the appeals people - I never did for the previous 2 PCNs.

I've provided some info below to help but for some reason cannot upload the PCN.

Many thanks for your expert views.

1 Date of the infringement: 16/03/2021

2 Date on the NTK: 19/03/2021

3 Date received: 23/03/2021

4 Does the NTK mention schedule 4 of The Protections of Freedoms Act 2012? Yes

5 Is there any photographic evidence of the event? Yes on PCN

6 Have I appealed? No

7 Parking company: ParkingEye

8. Carpark address: Aldi, Hospital Road, Hounslow, TW3 3HY

9. Appeals body they operate under: IAS (POPLA)

[Jonb71]

Update: Rang aldi customer services they confirmed it is illegal and will handle everything to get the pcn quashed.

Apparently it is 3 hours parking allowed and with no planning permission then parkingeye can say what they like about 90 minutes but cannot enforce it.

I don't understand why aldi knowingly allow parkingeye to operate like this - it must worry so many people, young and old, more so given the worrying times everyone is having with covid-19.

[ostell]

It's not illegal. If the signs say 90 mins then they will use that. PE do take people to court, ignore has not been the advice for a long time.

Planning permission doesn't come into it, they can always apply for retrospective permission.

Have you got documentation to show that Aldi will cancel?