You Stopped to Drop Off, Pick Up or Unload — That Is Not 'Parking'
A charge for 'parking' cannot bite on a vehicle that was merely stopped briefly to set down or pick up a passenger, or to load or unload. In Jopson v Homeguard Services Ltd (B9GF0A9E, Oxford County Court appeal, 29 June 2016) HHJ Harris QC held that 'parking', as opposed to stopping, means 'leaving a car for some duration of time beyond that needed for getting in or out of it, loading or unloading it, and perhaps coping with some vicissitude of short duration' — a resident stopped by the entrance to carry furniture in had not 'parked', and the charge failed. The industry Single Code itself distinguishes drop-off/pick-up activity from parking (grace periods, clause 5.2 NOTE 2, referring to airport and station drop-off zones as short-stay controlled land), and clause 5.3 only allows operators to pursue 'stopping' charges with explicit trade-association consent on security or safety grounds. This ground is for genuine brief attendance with an active purpose — the driver or passengers were with or about the vehicle dealing with passengers or goods — not for leaving the car and walking away.
Legal basis
Jopson v Homeguard Services Ltd, claim B9GF0A9E (Oxford County Court, appeal, HHJ Harris QC, 29 June 2016 — definition of 'parking' vs temporary stopping for loading/unloading; persuasive county court appeal authority); Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice v1.1 (17 Feb 2025), clause 5.2 NOTE 2 (drop-off/pick-up zones distinguished) and clause 5.3 (charges for 'stopping' require explicit ATA consent on evidenced security or safety grounds).
How to identify this in your case
Only run this ground if the customer confirms the vehicle was stopped briefly for an active purpose — setting down or picking up a passenger (especially children, elderly or disabled passengers), or loading/unloading goods — and someone was with or about the vehicle throughout or the stop lasted only minutes. Typical evidence: ANPR entry/exit a few minutes apart, delivery records, or a passenger's statement. Do NOT use where the driver left the site or the car sat unattended for a significant period.
Sample appeal wording
formal
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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