Royal Preston Hospital parking fine: rules, free time and how to appeal

Royal Preston Hospital is a hospital car park serving Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Preston, on Sharoe Green Lane (PR2 9HT). Parking here is managed by ParkingEye, a private operator and member of the British Parking Association (BPA), so a ticket from this car park is a private Parking Charge Notice, not a council fine.

ParkingEye enforces the rules at Royal Preston Hospital 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 Royal Preston Hospital

You can park free for 30 minutes. The free time is for patients and visitors only, so parking here to go elsewhere can lead to a charge.

The tariff we recorded is: First 30 minutes free, then £3.10 for 1 hour, £4.30 for 2 hours, £6.65 for 4 hours, £7.40 for 6 hours, £9.85 for 8 hours, £12 for 24 hours; weekly £30 (from 20 July 2026). You can pay by pay kiosks (coins, notes, card) and online via parkgood2go until midnight the day after your visit. 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.

Charges apply all day, every day except Christmas Day, and the trust raised them on 20 July 2026. If you drive off without paying, you can still pay online through parkgood2go until midnight the next day, which avoids a charge. Drop-offs under 30 minutes are free. Blue Badge parking is free, but you have to register the badge at the general office first and scan it at the kiosk each time you leave. If you can't get to the office, email the car park helpdesk within 24 hours. Blue P signs mark public car parks and green P signs are staff only. ParkingEye's charge is £70, reduced to £42 if paid early. Appeals are checked against trust guidance before they can go to POPLA. Under the new rules, a charge you have paid can no longer be appealed.

How to appeal a charge at Royal Preston Hospital

1. Don't ignore it. Note the date on the notice: you normally have 28 days to appeal to ParkingEye, 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 Royal Preston Hospital, receipts, payment records, and anything that explains why you stayed longer.
3. Appeal to ParkingEye 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 ParkingEye rejects your appeal, it must give you a code to appeal to POPLA, the independent appeals service for BPA members. POPLA appeals are free, and you have 28 days from the rejection to use the code.

If you were at Royal Preston Hospital for a hospital visit

Appointments at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust often run late, and an overrunning medical appointment is a reason the government code says a charge must be cancelled. Ask the department for a letter or a copy of your appointment record showing the time you were seen.

If you hold a Blue Badge, or were visiting someone critically ill, check the hospital's own concessions too: many NHS trusts offer free or reduced parking to some patients and visitors, and the trust can ask ParkingEye to cancel a charge.

Common reasons charges here get cancelled

• A few minutes over the limitThe cameras time your whole visit, from the entrance to the exit. With a 30 minutes limit at Royal Preston Hospital, an overstay of up to about 15 minutes is often inside the consideration and grace periods the code requires.
• You paid, but something went wrongPaying with a typo in your registration, or when pay kiosks (coins, notes, card) and online via parkgood2go until midnight the day after your visit failed, is covered by the codes. Send your payment record; a minor keying error should lead to cancellation.
• You were a patient or visitorProof you shopped or ate at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on the day often gets a charge cancelled, especially when the overstay was short.
• You had a permit but it wasn't visibleIf you hold a valid permit for Royal Preston Hospital but it wasn't on display, the charge should be cancelled or reduced. Send a copy of the permit.
• Reported at this car parkVisitors who forget to pay at the kiosk before leaving and don't know about the next-day online payment
• Reported at this car parkBlue Badge holders who haven't registered or don't scan their badge at the exit kiosk
• Reported at this car parkPatients and visitors parking in the green-signed staff areas
• Signs you couldn't reasonably seeThe terms are a contract formed by the signs at Royal Preston Hospital. 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 Royal Preston Hospital

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

• First appeal, plus the POPLA 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 Royal Preston Hospital

How long can you park at Royal Preston Hospital?

You can park free for 30 minutes; we didn't find a separate maximum stay.

Who runs Royal Preston Hospital car park?

ParkingEye manages the parking for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It's a member of the BPA, so appeals go to ParkingEye first and then to POPLA.

Is Royal Preston Hospital car park free?

The first 30 minutes is free. After that the tariff is: First 30 minutes free, then £3.10 for 1 hour, £4.30 for 2 hours, £6.65 for 4 hours, £7.40 for 6 hours, £9.85 for 8 hours, £12 for 24 hours; weekly £30 (from 20 July 2026).

Can I appeal a ParkingEye charge at Royal Preston Hospital?

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

Does Royal Preston Hospital have parking cameras?

Yes, ParkingEye 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 the landowner or retailer's website (Lancashire Teaching Hospitals car parking page (ParkingEye contractor, tariffs from 20 July 2026, PCN amounts, POPLA route)). Signs and rules change, so the signs on the day are what count. Spotted something different? Report a change.