Hillingdon Code 52 PCN Appeal: Vehicle Restrictions (2026)

1. What does a Hillingdon Code 52 PCN mean?

Your vehicle is alleged to have used a road from which its class was prohibited. A no-motor-vehicles sign and a goods-vehicle weight limit both fall within Code 52, but require different evidence. Hillingdon lists this code among its CCTV-enforced contraventions.

The 2025 Hillingdon decisions reviewed here concern Angel Lane, Sidmouth Drive and Ladygate Lane. They examine vehicle weight, when the signs became visible and whether a delivery qualified for access. Check the precise road and restriction on your own notice.

Contravention

Code 52: failing to comply with a prohibition on certain types of vehicle

Authority and category

London Borough of Hillingdon / London moving traffic

Common variants

52M: motor vehicles; 52G: goods vehicles exceeding the displayed maximum gross weight. Check the full allegation.

Main evidence

CCTV, vehicle class or maximum gross weight, approach signs, traffic order and any access or loading exception

Current penalty

£160, reduced to £80 during the initial discount period. Check the payment date on your PCN.

Representations

Hillingdon must receive them within 28 days of service of the PCN.

Appeal route

Written representations to Hillingdon, then London Tribunals after a Notice of Rejection

2. What must Hillingdon prove?

Diagram 619 prohibits motor vehicles. Diagram 622.1A, shown below, applies to goods vehicles exceeding the displayed maximum gross weight. Any plate and the operative traffic order determine the hours and permitted exceptions; not every restriction has a loading exception.

• The restriction covers the road, direction and time shown on the PCN. Read the operative order and its street schedule or map together.
• Your vehicle falls within the prohibited class or weight. For a goods-vehicle allegation, maximum gross weight matters, not simply whether the vehicle was carrying a load.
• Signs adequately informed the driver before entry. Compare the actual approach, readable plates and last safe alternative; two signs or advance warning signs are not universal requirements.
• The recording establishes the vehicle and its use of the restricted road. A photograph of a lorry does not necessarily establish a disputed weight.

3. Grounds and exemptions for a Hillingdon Code 52 appeal

Match the ground to your vehicle and journey. The local decisions show why a delivery claim needs both a destination and evidence that the restriction permitted access to it.

• Wrong vehicle class or weight: attach vehicle specifications or plating evidence. An empty lorry is not automatically exempt from a maximum-gross-weight restriction.
• Signs seen too late or obscured: show the approach and where the driver could first read the restriction. The Angel Lane signage decision below turned on that opportunity, not a general right to ignore a sign.
• Loading, access or permit exemption: identify the exact provision, premises, date and supporting delivery, collection or permit record. Explain any route condition. A nearby delivery, resident's parking permit or Blue Badge is not a blanket exemption.
• Restriction or liability not established: identify the missing street schedule, location mismatch or relevant ownership or hire documents. Explain how the evidence supports the statutory ground.
• Exceptional circumstances: ask Hillingdon to exercise discretion where no legal exemption applies. Following a satnav or making a necessary work journey does not itself prove a ground.

4. How to make a formal representation to Hillingdon

Use Hillingdon's APCOA evidence and challenge portal with your vehicle registration and PCN number, HN followed by eight characters. Challenges must be in writing. London Tribunals says Hillingdon must receive your representation within 28 days of service of the PCN.

The current moving-traffic penalty is £160, reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days beginning with the PCN date. Check the actual discount date on your notice and any later offer in the rejection; a renewed discount is not automatic. The portal warns that paying closes the PCN to a challenge.

1. Review the available photographs and CCTV. Note the road, direction, sign passed and vehicle details.
2. State your ground and attach relevant evidence: vehicle weight, approach photographs, or a dated delivery record identifying the premises and applicable exception. Include the PCN number and contact details.
3. Submit the representation through the portal. Request any missing recording or order schedule, but submit your challenge within the deadline rather than treating an evidence request as the representation.
4. Alternatively, write to Hillingdon Council, Parking Services, PO Box 5824, Dingwall, IV15 0BH. Allow time for receipt. Keep the submitted text, attachments and dated portal acknowledgement, or proof of posting and any delivery confirmation.

5. When should Hillingdon respond?

London Tribunals says the authority "should normally respond to representations within 3 months".

6. Rejection and your London Tribunals appeal

Check whether Hillingdon's Notice of Rejection addresses the disputed weight, sign visibility or delivery exception. Register an appeal to London Tribunals within 28 days beginning with service of the rejection, using its verification code online or the supplied appeal form by post.

Include the PCN, rejection, ground and supporting evidence. Choose a hearing or a decision on the papers. When Hillingdon's evidence pack arrives, check the vehicle evidence, approach photographs and operative street schedule; explain any gap and submit your response by the tribunal's evidence deadline.

If the appeal is allowed, the penalty is cancelled. If refused, the full penalty is normally payable; follow the decision's instructions and do not assume an earlier discount remains available.

2025 Hillingdon Code 52 tribunal results

4 of 16 recorded cases were allowed (25.0%).

8. Full Code 52 PCN Appeal Guide

Read the detailed guide to vehicle-restriction signs, placement and lighting, traffic orders, exemptions and wider tribunal decisions.