Greenwich Code 45 PCN Appeal (2026)

1. What does Greenwich Code 45 mean?

Code 45 concerns use of a taxi rank by a vehicle that does not meet its conditions. Current DfT guidance distinguishes no-waiting ranks from no-stopping ranks, and some spaces change between taxi, loading and ordinary parking use during the day. The sign and broad line need to be read together; the word TAXIS alone does not describe every operating condition.

Contravention

Code 45 concerns use of a taxi rank by a vehicle that does not meet its conditions

Category

On-Street Parking PCNs

Issuing authority

Royal Borough of Greenwich

Formal representation deadline

28 days beginning with service of the Notice to Owner or postal parking PCN.

Penalty and discount

Use the charge and discount printed on your PCN; the applicable amount depends on the notice and contravention date.

Initial discount

The initial 50% discount applies for 14 days beginning with PCN service, or 21 days for an approved-device postal parking PCN. An early challenge may lead to a renewed discount if rejected; check the council's policy and the amount and deadline in its reply.

Appeal route

Greenwich, then London Tribunals after a formal Notice of Rejection.

2. What must Greenwich establish?

Read the rank's stopping or waiting symbol, time panels and road markings together. The painted word TAXIS alone does not describe every condition.

Where the space has shared uses, photograph every panel and the boundaries. An overnight taxi reservation may operate when daytime parking has ended.

• The rank's legal restriction and signing must establish whether it prohibits waiting or stopping, and which vehicles may use it.
• The rank must be operating at the recorded time. A space that changes between taxi, loading and parking use must be assessed under the condition then in force.
• The vehicle must be within the rank and lack the required entitlement. A private-hire booking is not, by itself, a taxi-rank licence.
• The activity must breach the actual restriction. A passenger exception relevant to a no-waiting rank must not be carried across to a no-stopping rank.

3. Grounds and exemptions for a Greenwich Code 45 appeal

The statutory ground must match what happened. These code-specific points explain how to establish it.

A no-stopping rank does not normally allow an ordinary car to pause for a passenger. A no-waiting rank requires a separate check of the relevant exception. Blue Badge concessions do not provide general permission to use a taxi rank, and an empty rank remains restricted during its operating hours.

• The taxi-rank restriction was not operating at the PCN time and the vehicle met the space's alternative conditions. Photograph every time panel, including overnight rank hours.
• The vehicle was an eligible licensed taxi for this rank. Provide the relevant vehicle licence and authorisation; a private-hire booking does not by itself confer taxi-rank entitlement.
• The council applied a no-stopping allegation where the actual restriction prohibited waiting, and the activity satisfied an applicable passenger or other exception. Explain the sign and precise activity rather than assuming all ranks permit drop-offs.
• The vehicle was outside the rank, the restriction was not adequately conveyed, or an evidenced unavoidable stop or direction applied. Show the complete vehicle position and approach to the signs.
• The alleged parking contravention did not happen, including where a relevant exemption applied or the restriction was not adequately signed.
• You were not the owner at the relevant time: you never owned the vehicle, sold it before the event or acquired it afterwards.
• The vehicle was under someone else's control without the owner's consent at the time of the alleged contravention.
• You are a vehicle-hire firm and the vehicle was hired under a qualifying agreement with a signed statement accepting PCN liability. Supply the hirer's name and address.
• The authority is demanding more than the penalty legally applicable to this case.
• The authority failed to comply with a statutory requirement in imposing or recovering the penalty: a procedural impropriety.
• The traffic order relied on is invalid, except an order subject to Part 6 of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
• For a postal PCN relying on prevented service or a qualifying drive-away under regulation 10(2)(b) or (c), nobody prevented the officer from attaching or handing over the PCN. This is not the ground for an approved-device postal PCN.
• The enforcement notice should not have been served because the penalty was already paid in full, or at the valid discounted amount by the applicable deadline. Paying a parking tariff is different from paying the penalty.

4. How to make a formal representation to Greenwich

For a parking PCN attached to the vehicle or handed to the driver, send an informal challenge to Greenwich. Formal representations are made against the Notice to Owner, or directly against a postal parking PCN, within 28 days beginning with service. Respond to the formal notice even if an earlier informal challenge is unanswered.

The initial 50% discount applies for 14 days beginning with PCN service, or 21 days for an approved-device postal parking PCN. An early challenge may lead to a renewed discount if rejected; check the council's policy and the amount and deadline in its reply.

For the initial parking challenge stage described before a Notice to Owner, Greenwich says an unsuccessful challenge made within the first 14 days receives a further 14 days to pay the discounted amount, counted from the decision letter's date. This summary is confined to that parking-stage process, not a discount promise for London moving-traffic representations.

• The full rank sign, broad line and any shared-use time panels.
• The vehicle's position relative to the start and end of the rank.
• Taxi licensing or rank-specific permission where entitlement is claimed.
• The observation sequence and evidence explaining any alleged passenger activity or compelled stop.

1. Open Greenwich's PCN service below. Enter the PCN reference (prefix GR) and vehicle registration to find the notice and evidence.
2. Greenwich's appeal page links to the same PCN portal for an appeal and a formal representation. Have your vehicle registration and PCN reference beginning GR ready.
3. Include your name and address, your email address if you have one, a clear explanation of your reasons and copies of supporting evidence. The council accepts online or postal challenges, but not appeals by telephone or in person.
4. For a parking Notice to Owner, use the formal representation option or complete and return the Notice to Owner to Parking Services. Follow the instructions for the notice you actually received.
5. Explain which part of the Code 45 allegation you dispute. Include the PCN reference, vehicle registration, your address and copies of photographs or records supporting each point.
6. Postal alternative: Parking Services, Royal Borough of Greenwich, PO Box 1621, Northampton NN1 9LA. Allow time for receipt before the deadline and retain proof of posting.
7. Save the full submission, attachments and dated acknowledgement.

5. How long does Greenwich have to respond?

Greenwich must serve its decision within 56 days beginning with receipt of qualifying formal representations. If it fails to comply, those representations are deemed accepted. This statutory period applies to formal representations, not an informal challenge or a request for photographs.

6. If Greenwich rejects your representation

A formal Notice of Rejection explains Greenwich's decision and how to appeal to London Tribunals. You have 28 days beginning with service of that notice to pay or register your tribunal appeal.

Compare the reply with the Code 45 grounds and evidence you submitted. Identify any unanswered point, missing evidence or inconsistency between the restriction and the recorded event. Keep the rejection notice and the appeal details supplied with it.

An informal rejection is different: formal representations can be made if a Notice to Owner follows.

7. Taking your Greenwich appeal to London Tribunals

London Tribunals is independent of Greenwich. Use the registration instructions and verification details in the Notice of Rejection, upload your evidence and explain why the alleged Code 45 contravention or liability is disputed.

There is no fee to register the appeal. If it is refused, the full penalty is normally payable; an earlier discount does not automatically continue. If registering late, explain the delay so the adjudicator can decide whether to accept the appeal.

Read Greenwich's evidence pack and respond to the points relevant to your case. Keep to the tribunal's directions and evidence deadlines.

2025 London Tribunals results: shared context

9 of 38 recorded cases were allowed (23.7%).

Full Code 45 PCN Appeal Guide

Read the detailed legislation, signage requirements, exemptions and case analysis for this contravention.