How to use this appeal template
Free Appeal Template, Gatwick Airport
Gatwick AirportI am the registered keeper of the vehicle. I am not obliged to identify the driver and decline to do so.
1. NCP cannot hold a registered keeper liable for any alleged contravention on land that is under statutory control. Gatwick Airport is not 'relevant land' as defined in Schedule 4 to the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 ("POFA"). NCP is well aware that the POFA keeper liability provisions do not apply here, and has no lawful basis on which to pursue the registered keeper.
2. NCP's 'parking charge' is not and never purports to be a byelaws penalty, it is a charge created for NCP's own commercial profit. If Gatwick Airport wished to enforce against vehicle owners or keepers under Airport Byelaws, that would be a matter for the landowner alone. NCP is not the airport owner and has no standing to invoke byelaws. Its claim rests solely on alleged breach of contract against the driver, not the keeper.
3. The parking charge is not notified until after the contract is entered into. Under the Court of Appeal's decision in Thornton v Shoe Lane Parking [1971] 2 QB 163, a charge introduced after a contract has been formed does not become part of that contract.
4. The signage is not compliant with the BPA Code of Practice. Charging terms were not displayed clearly or prominently before the driver committed to entering the zone, meaning no valid contractual offer was made.
5. The vehicle was present in the drop-off zone for no more than 5 minutes, within the consideration period mandated by the BPA Code of Practice.
The registered keeper cannot be presumed or inferred to have been the driver, nor pursued under any interpretation of agency law. NCP's Notice to Keeper can only hold the driver liable, and that claim also fails for the reasons above. I require this PCN to be cancelled and invite confirmation of cancellation in writing.
What is the Gatwick drop-off charge, and can you appeal it?
Gatwick Airport operates two separate drop-off charge zones, one at the North Terminal and one at the South Terminal, both enforced by ANPR cameras. Drivers who enter either charge zone are charged £3 for up to 10 minutes or £5 for up to 30 minutes, issued as a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) by NCP (National Car Parks), a private operator.
The charge is not a council Penalty Charge Notice; it is a private civil debt under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Importantly, case law (particularly cases about airport land) has established that NCP cannot pursue the registered keeper of a vehicle under Schedule 4 of POFA, because airport land is not 'relevant land' under the Act. This significantly weakens NCP's position.
Many drivers successfully appeal these charges, particularly where they raise signage concerns or rely on the fact that airport land falls outside keeper liability rules. Even straightforward cases often result in cancellation on a goodwill basis.
Strongest grounds for a Gatwick drop-off appeal
1. Charge zone boundary, were you actually inside it?
Gatwick's drop-off charge zone does not begin at the terminal forecourt. ANPR cameras are positioned some distance back on the approach road. If you believe you stopped before entering the charge zone, request the ANPR images and compare the camera location against the published zone maps on Gatwick's website.
2. Exit queues inflating recorded time
The drop-off forecourts at Gatwick, particularly the South Terminal, can become congested during peak hours. If exit queues caused your recorded stay to exceed the free drop-off window, this is a legitimate technical ground. Mention the approximate time of day and any known flight times in your appeal.
3. BPA signage non-compliance
The BPA Code of Practice (paragraph 18) requires signage to be the first thing a driver encounters on entering a private parking area. If the first sign you encountered was after you had already committed to the approach road, the contract formation requirements may not have been met.
4. Keeper liability procedural failures
If you were not the driver, check the dates carefully. A Notice to Keeper must be issued within 14 days of the alleged contravention (if no Notice to Driver was given). If this window was missed, keeper liability is not established under the Protection of Freedoms Act.
Frequently asked questions, Gatwick drop-off charges
Does the charge apply to both Gatwick terminals?
Yes. Both the North Terminal and South Terminal at Gatwick have their own ANPR-enforced drop-off charge zones. The zones are separate, and the camera positions differ slightly between the two. If you are appealing on signage grounds, make sure your letter specifies the correct terminal.
I was only there for two minutes, do I still have to pay?
If you were genuinely in and out quickly, the ANPR timestamps on your PCN should reflect that. If the times shown appear longer than your actual stay, you have a strong case to appeal on the basis of a timing error. Request the ANPR photographic evidence as part of your appeal, operators are required to provide it.
Can I appeal if I didn't read the signs?
Yes, but frame this carefully. The legal point is not that you personally failed to read the signs; it is that the signage did not meet the BPA's standards for prominence and legibility. If the signs were small, poorly lit, or positioned where a driver couldn't reasonably read them before entering, this is a valid appeal ground.
What happens if Gatwick's operator rejects my appeal?
If your informal appeal is rejected, the operator must provide you with a POPLA verification code. You then have 28 days to submit your case to POPLA online at popla.co.uk. The adjudication is free and fully independent. Operators must comply with POPLA rulings. Do not pay before you have exhausted the POPLA route.
Is the Gatwick drop-off charge the same as a council parking ticket?
No. Gatwick's charge is issued by a private parking company and is a civil debt, not a statutory penalty. It can only become a problem if the operator pursues a County Court claim and wins a CCJ, a route rarely taken for a single contested charge.