Roadford Lake Car Park parking fine: rules, free time and how to appeal

Roadford Lake Car Park is a leisure car park serving South West Lakes Trust in Lifton, on Roadford Lake visitor centre, Broadwoodwidger (near Okehampton) (PL16 0RL). Parking here is managed by Smart Parking, a private operator and member of the International Parking Community (IPC), so a ticket from this car park is a private Parking Charge Notice, not a council fine.

Smart Parking enforces the rules at Roadford Lake Car Park using number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras that log the time you drive in and out. If you got a charge here it will usually have arrived by post, addressed to the registered keeper, and the times on it are camera times, not the time you parked.

The rules at Roadford Lake Car Park

There is no free period at Roadford Lake Car Park: you pay from the moment you arrive.

The tariff we recorded is: £2.50 for up to 2 hours, £5 for the whole day. You can pay by machines (coins or contactless card) and the RingGo app. Because the cameras match payments to your registration, the registration you enter has to match your vehicle exactly.

Part of the car park is set aside for permit holders. Parking in a permit bay without a permit is one of the commonest reasons for charges here, so check which bay you were in.

South West Lakes Trust, a charity, owns this lakeside car park at the south end of Roadford Lake. In May 2024 it replaced pay and display machines it had used for about 25 years with ANPR cameras, and Smart Parking now enforces the site. The trust says it has not changed the prices. The 2025 local news coverage was about Roadford and Siblyback. If you hold a Friends of South West Lakes Trust membership (from about £35 a year, including a parking pass), a season ticket or an angling permit, check that the trust has your current registration. If you were ticketed despite being entitled to park, email the trust directly as well as appealing to Smart Parking. Smart Parking now appears to send unresolved appeals to the IAS rather than POPLA.

How to appeal a charge at Roadford Lake Car Park

1. Don't ignore it. Note the date on the notice: you normally have 28 days to appeal to Smart Parking, and 14 days to pay at the reduced rate if you decide to pay.
2. Gather evidence: photos of the signs and where you parked at Roadford Lake Car Park, receipts, payment records, and anything that explains why you stayed longer.
3. Appeal to Smart Parking in writing. Keep to the facts and keep a copy. If you were not driving, you don't have to say who was.
4. If Smart Parking rejects your appeal, it must give you a code to appeal to IAS, the independent appeals service for IPC members. A standard IAS appeal is free if made within 21 days of the rejection.

If you were at a film, class or match

Films, classes and fixtures can run over the free time. Your booking confirmation or ticket shows when it started and ended, which is useful evidence.

Some leisure sites give longer free parking if you enter your registration on a terminal inside. If you missed that step, the government code caps the charge at £20 once it applies.

Common reasons charges here get cancelled

• You paid, but something went wrongPaying with a typo in your registration, or when machines (coins or contactless card) and the RingGo app failed, is covered by the codes. Send your payment record; a minor keying error should lead to cancellation.
• You had a permit but it wasn't visibleIf you hold a valid permit for Roadford Lake Car Park but it wasn't on display, the charge should be cancelled or reduced. Send a copy of the permit.
• Reported at this car parkFriends members, season ticket holders, anglers and volunteers get charges because their registration is missing or out of date on the trust's records
• Reported at this car parkVisitors pay for the wrong car park or the wrong length of stay, then get an ANPR charge
• Reported at this car parkAt trust sites, charges the trust has agreed to cancel have still gone on to debt collection letters
• Signs you couldn't reasonably seeThe terms are a contract formed by the signs at Roadford Lake Car Park. If the entrance sign was missing, hidden or unreadable, photograph it from the driver's position; the codes set rules for size, placement and wording.

Get an appeal letter for Roadford Lake Car Park

Written for you from your check, addressed to Smart Parking with this car park's details already filled in.

• First appeal, plus the IAS appeal if it's rejected
• Late-appeal and £20-reduction letters included
• Edit it, then download as Word or PDF, or copy into the appeal form
• Full refund within 14 days, no questions

Start my letter, £5.99 Appeal for free instead

A document-preparation service, not legal advice. Your details stay on your device.

Questions about parking at Roadford Lake Car Park

How long can you park at Roadford Lake Car Park?

We didn't find a published maximum stay. The terms we recorded: £2.50 for up to 2 hours, £5 for the whole day.

Who runs Roadford Lake Car Park car park?

Smart Parking manages the parking for South West Lakes Trust. It's a member of the IPC, so appeals go to Smart Parking first and then to IAS.

Is Roadford Lake Car Park car park free?

No. The tariff is: £2.50 for up to 2 hours, £5 for the whole day.

Can I appeal a Smart Parking charge at Roadford Lake Car Park?

Yes. Appeal to Smart Parking within 28 days, with evidence. If it's rejected you can go to IAS for free. Paying doesn't stop you appealing first, but the reduced rate usually only applies in the first 14 days.

Does Roadford Lake Car Park have parking cameras?

Yes, Smart Parking uses ANPR cameras here. They record your registration and the time you enter and leave, and charges are posted to the registered keeper.

Last checked on 31 October 2026, from published news reports (Tavistock Times Gazette, July 2025 (Smart Parking enforcing for South West Lakes Trust); The Post, Aug 2024 (Roadford ANPR, tariff, payment); Countryside Mobility (postcode, tariff)). Signs and rules change, so the signs on the day are what count. Spotted something different? Report a change.