Pay or challenge a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)
About your PCN
Penalty Charge Notices are issued for parking offences after Thursday, 11 November 2021 and replace Excess Charge Notices (ECNs).
On receipt of your PCN you must either:
- Pay the parking fine on or before the end of the 28 day period as shown on the PCN, or
- Request a challenge the parking fine.
A 50 per cent reduction of the parking fine is applied in each case provided payment is received by CDC or the Authorised Agent (as indicated on the PCN) not later than the last day of the period of 14 days beginning with the date on which it was served.
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Why have I been issued with an PCN?
You will have been issued with a parking fine, also known as an Parking Charge Notice (PCN) for one of the following contraventions:
- no valid parking ticket or permit is displayed on the vehicle windscreen/dashboard or paid for online
- payment for parking has not been made
- the parking ticket/Blue Badge/permit was not correctly displayed, or the date and expiry time were not clearly visible
- the vehicle was parked for longer than the maximum period paid for or permitted
- the vehicle was not parked fully within a designated parking space(s) and payment has not been made for the additional parking space(s)
- the vehicle was parked in a space designated for disabled persons but was not displaying a valid Blue Badge
- the vehicle was parked in a space reserved for the charging of electric vehicles and is not itself capable of being electrically charged or connected to an electric vehicle charge point
- the vehicle was parked in a space which is reserved for a particular class (e.g., in a space designated solely for taxis, doctors’ vehicles, coaches, buses or vehicles exceeding the designated weight limit).
Car park information and enforcement policy
Our information and Enforcement Policy (effective 11 November 2021) applies to your PCN.
Car park information and Enforcement Policy
How much do I have to pay?
Two levels of charges are applied: -
- Lower Level: £50 - Parked for longer than permitted
- Higher Level: £70 - All other charges carry the higher-level charge amount
A 50 per cent reduction of the Penalty Charge is applied in each case provided payment is received by CDC or the Authorised Agent (as indicated on the PCN) not later than the last day of the period of 14 days beginning with the date on which the PCN was served.
Pay your PCN
Payment of your excess charge is acceptance of liability. Do not pay if you intend to review your ticket.
Pay online
Before you start you will need:
- your vehicle registration number
- the PCN number listed on your parking ticket and
- a valid debit or credit card
Pay by post
Payment can be made by post using cheques or postal orders which should be made payable to Cherwell District Council, crossed A/C Payee Only. Please write the PCN number together with your name and address on the back of the cheque or postal order, and send the cheque or postal order together with the completed payment slip to:
Cherwell District Council
PO BOX 1246
Middlesex
UB8 9JL
Please allow time for the postal service to deliver the payment. Discounts on early payment of PCNs are only allowed in the event payment is received within the discount periods set out in the policy above.
View evidence or challenge your PCN
APCOA Parking, who enforce car park regulations on our behalf, may consider cancelling a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) where there are clear and exceptional extenuating circumstances. For example:
- In the case of personal illness that results in an over stay - on the production of a Doctor’s certificate.
- In the case of a vehicle breakdown - on production of a certificate or invoice from a vehicle recovery or repair company.
- If the Customer has purchased a ticket and if it is clear that the Customer has inadvertently failed to correctly display the ticket – the PCN may be cancelled if it is the Customer’s first and only such contravention.
Payment of your excess charge is acceptance of liability. Do not pay if you intend to review your ticket.