Lewisham Code 11 PCN Appeal (2026)

1. What does Lewisham Code 11 mean?

Code 11 alleges failure to pay the on-street parking charge. It often arises when the officer cannot find a valid cashless session, but a missing result on the officer's device is not the same thing as proof that no qualifying payment exists. Obtain the actual session record before relying on a bank debit, an attempted transaction or a payment for another vehicle.

Contravention

Code 11 alleges failure to pay the on-street parking charge

Category

On-Street Parking PCNs

Issuing authority

London Borough of Lewisham

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

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

2. What must Lewisham establish?

Match the signed location code, charging hours and payment options to the actual bay. Nearby machines or app locations may serve a different parking place.

Keep photographs of any free-session registration instructions or alternative payment directions. These can explain why a charge was or was not due.

• A parking charge must be due for the occupied bay, vehicle and time under the applicable charging conditions.
• Check completed sessions against the correct registration, location code and period; a missing result on the officer's device does not resolve a conflicting provider record.
• Account for any valid payment concession or free-session requirement. A pending bank authorisation is not necessarily a completed parking session.
• Where a required on-street machine failed, assess the available and clearly indicated alternatives under the English DfT guidance. There is no ten-minute allowance to leave a vehicle unpaid from arrival.

3. Grounds and exemptions for a Lewisham Code 11 appeal

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

Necessary loading or passenger assistance can be exempt under the relevant parking order. Explain the activity rather than merely the short duration. Properly used Blue Badges normally permit free on-street meter or pay-and-display parking in England, but special central-London schemes and the actual bay type must be checked.

• A completed session covered the correct vehicle, location and time. Supply the parking provider's confirmation and ask the council to reconcile it with the officer's check.
• The payment went through but the enforcement device had not received the session. Use the purchase timestamp, session identifier and any provider response to show when parking was authorised.
• The charging hours had ended or a valid concession meant no charge was due. Photograph the bay sign and identify the applicable permit, Blue Badge or free-parking condition, including any required registration of a free session.
• A required machine failed and no alternative payment was available and clearly indicated. DfT's English on-street guidance addresses this situation. Record the fault, instructions and attempts; if only a phone service failed, explain that specific failure and the other options shown.
• 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 Lewisham

For a parking PCN attached to the vehicle or handed to the driver, send an informal challenge to Lewisham. 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.

Lewisham's parking-ticket guidance says an informal challenge received within the 14-day discount period puts the PCN on hold until the reply, with discounted payment still available if rejected. A later unsuccessful informal challenge is payable at the full amount. This summary is limited to the parking informal-challenge policy.

• The provider's session showing registration, location code, start, end and transaction reference.
• The PCN and officer's payment-system check, including timestamps where available.
• Photographs of charging hours, the location code and permitted payment methods.
• Fault messages, provider correspondence or the specific concession and activity records relied on.

1. Open Lewisham's PCN service below. Enter the PCN reference (prefix ZY) and vehicle registration to find the notice and evidence.
2. Use Lewisham's council-linked online challenge service for a PCN starting ZY. Include the PCN reference, vehicle registration, full name and postal address.
3. Lewisham accepts written challenges by post to its Parking Service Appeals Team. It says decisions cannot be made over the telephone and a challenge will not be considered after the penalty has been paid.
4. If a disability or another condition makes challenging the PCN difficult, Lewisham invites requests for reasonable adjustments through Parking Services on 020 8787 5397.
5. Explain which part of the Code 11 allegation you dispute. Include the PCN reference, vehicle registration, your address and copies of photographs or records supporting each point.
6. Postal alternative: Parking Service Appeals Team, PO Box 297, Sheffield, S98 1SU. 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 Lewisham have to respond?

Lewisham 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 Lewisham rejects your representation

A formal Notice of Rejection explains Lewisham'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 11 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 Lewisham appeal to London Tribunals

London Tribunals is independent of Lewisham. Use the registration instructions and verification details in the Notice of Rejection, upload your evidence and explain why the alleged Code 11 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 Lewisham'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

328 of 1,179 recorded cases were allowed (27.8%).

Full Code 11 PCN Appeal Guide

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