Permits – FAQs

The amount of permits you are entitled to depends on a variety of factors outside of PCM’s control. We do not decide how many permits you are allocated – this information comes as a direct instruction from our client. The exact allocation will usually endeavour to balance a fair/equal access to parking facilities with contractual rights and planning conditions. This may also mean that you are not entitled to visitor permits – unfortunately, PCM will not be able to change a property’s permit allocation.

It should also be noted that your permit allocation may vary from other surrounding properties – again, this is outside of PCM’s control and is down to the parking rights associated with the particular property.

Generally, our permits do not expire. However, any permit that does expire will have the expiry date printed on it.

If your permit states ‘Issue [date]’, then it will not expire until a new issue is made. The issue date on your permit may not be the actual date you received it – this simply denotes the ‘edition’ and the current edition may last several years. If a new issue is made, you will receive correspondence which is usually hand delivered.

You should ensure your permit is kept in a good and readable condition. If your permit becomes faded or damaged, you will need to replace it. Our permits are issued with identical branding and so, it is the information printed in the centre of your permit and the hologram in the top left corner that will indicate validity. All of the material printed on your permit is vital to ascertaining whether one is permitted to park. Therefore, if any of it cannot be read, it is important to replace your permit immediately.

You can contact our Permit Team by telephone on 01753 512 603 (option 3) or by email at permits@pcm-uk.co.uk

Permits can be displayed in one of two ways – you may either affix it to the windscreen using the imbedded holder or rest it on your dashboard. Please read the instructions adjacent to the permit.

While either method is acceptable, we would strongly advise you to permanently stick your permit to the windscreen to avoid the risk of forgetting to display it. If you wish to utilise both methods, PCM offer permit holders for £3.00. Similar products are also available in Halfords and comparable stores. However you choose to display your permit, you need to ensure that it is FULLY visible within your windscreen.

Unless your permit has your vehicle registration mark printed on it, you can transfer it between vehicles. However, you should consider that repeatedly peeling the permit from the windscreen may affect the function of the adhesive and so, you may wish to purchase a permit holder.

Do not photocopy your permit(s) as only original permits with the genuine hologram will be accepted as valid. Displaying an invalid permit could result in the issue of a Parking Charge Notice. Equally, you should not alter or tamper with the permit in any way as this will invalidate it.

If you lose your permit, you should contact PCM for a replacement as soon as possible. Please remember that if you do not have a valid permit in your possession, you will be unable to park on site. Upon ordering a new permit, you will be granted temporary authorisation to park.

The permit system is in place to protect the rights of both the landowner and rights users of the land are granted. To put it simply, displaying your permit is ‘doing your bit’ to ensure that only authorised persons park and that they do so in the proper manner. It is important that the rules are applied equally to all motorists, otherwise the scheme becomes unworkable.

Permits are issued to the property, not the resident. Therefore, if you need to order a new one, this will be chargeable. This fee is a nominal charge for the administrative work involved, the physical permit and any posting charges. You will usually not have to pay again unless the permit becomes lost/ damaged/ faded/ otherwise invalid.

While we certainly appreciate the frustrations of this, unfortunately, you will have to seek alternative unrestricted parking. Poor parking does not permit further poor parking – it creates a ‘domino effect’, leading the scheme to be unworkable. If you have concerns about unauthorised vehicles impeding on your rights to park, you can contact us and as above, we can pass these concerns on.

Alternatively you could consider using either of the two below:

This depends on the parking scheme in place as some sites have designated visitor parking areas and some do not. The signage on site will give all of the information on the rules of parking and if you are unsure, please contact us.

This is not under the jurisdiction of PCM. In general, a lack of visitor parking is due to limitations of the physical space i.e. there is simply no room for visitor parking as well as resident parking.

To use a scratch card, you will need to scratch one box only from each section to indicate the time you start parking (your arrival). Then, you should display the scratch card prominently in the front windscreen, ensuring the entirety of the card is clearly visible.

The length of validity can vary from site to site, so please check the signage for how long the scratch card is valid for. In most cases, a scratch card will provide parking for 24 hours.

Scratch cards are single-use. Therefore, you should not scratch more than one date. However, scratch cards are not specific to a particular vehicle and so, if the card is still within the valid timeframe, you may use it in another vehicle.

If you scratch out the wrong date, you will need to dispose of the scratch card with the mistake and start again. Scratch cards with multiple dates scratched or that are incorrectly completed will not be valid.

The per property allocation is calculated by a mathematic formula that considers the number of visitor bays available and the number of properties. Your allocation will run for a calendar year e.g. a May to May allocation means that the amount of scratch cards you can have will ‘refresh’ each May.

It should be noted that your allocation will not roll-over but you do not have to use all of the scratch cards in that time as they are valid for several years.

We offer a number of different solutions for resident carers. Please contact us by email with the carer parking needs and we shall implement the most appropriate solution.

Contractors can contact PCM directly on the day of parking (or the day before if they will be parking outside of office hours) for temporary authorisation to park. Please note that on a small selection of sites, this service is unavailable – this may be due to previous abuse of the system and/or at the request of the landowner.

Orders are placed in a queue and processed within 24 hours. Your payment is processed immediately prior to your permit being printed and sent. Permits are posted by Royal Mail’s first-class postal service and so should arrive between 1-3 working days. However, there can be regional variations and unexpected issues that delay this. Your order should be with you within one week and so, if you haven’t received it by this time, please contact us.

If there are vehicles parking improperly, you are able to report vehicles HERE. However, it is important to note that PCM offer a free of charge service so cannot operate a ‘call-and-response’ basis.

Reports of unauthorised parking are welcome as we can pass them immediately to the local operative and tailor our sporadic patrols to particularly problematic times.