Brighton & Hove car parks - terms and conditions

You form an agreement when you enter this car park in your vehicle.

You're allowed to park as long as:

• you make full payment of the amounts set out by the tariff before exiting from the car park
• the user agrees to be bound by these terms and conditions

References to ‘the council’ mean Brighton & Hove City Council and shall include any representatives, contractors, agents or sub-contractors of Brighton & Hove City Council.

References to “the customer” shall mean:

• any person who has control of or is driving a vehicle who uses the car parks
• all passengers

If you have any comments or queries, send an email to trafficcontrolcentre@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

All other communications should be directed to Brighton & Hove City Council, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 4AH. 

General 

In order to commence parking the customer must use the entry equipment to obtain a ticket which must be used to enter and exit the car park at all times. Car parks controlled with security doors will require the ticket holder to use their season ticket to gain pedestrian entry to the car park.

A ticket does not guarantee the customer to any particular space in the car park nor to priority over other customers. Customers must park within the marking of a designated space. The council reserves the right to nominate specific bays for designated use.

Your ticket will permit you to park one vehicle only in the car park. Once your ticket has been used to remove the vehicle from the car park, it cannot be used again. Tickets used at the exit are immediately removed from the system to prevent double charges from being applied at a later time. 

The council provides only a place to park in return for payment and cannot guarantee the security of customers' vehicles and their contents. The council does not accept liability for any damage to or loss of vehicles or their contents which is the result of acts or omissions outside the reasonable control of the council or its contractors.

The council shall not be liable in respect of any death, personal injury, loss or damage sustained by any person entering a car park howsoever the same may be caused, unless caused by the negligence of or breach of statutory duty by the council.  

In the event of or upon discovery of an incident within the car park, or if the customer damages the property of a third party or the council, or if an injury or personal damage is sustained customers should report it directly to the Transport Control Centre by:

• using the intercom system
• telephoning 01273 294 296

In the case of damage to or theft of or from a vehicle whilst in the car park, customers are advised to:

• notify their Insurers and the police promptly
• update the Transport Control Centre with any police reference number they're given

The customer agrees to indemnify the council in respect of any claim made by a third party arising out of the negligence of the customer.

The council reserves the right to refuse admission to any or all of its car parks if circumstances dictate. Vehicles whose height exceeds the entry restriction at the car park are not allowed admission into the car park.

Any vehicle that is too high or too wide for the bays of the car park is not suitable for use within the car park and alternative parking options should be sought by the customer.

If a vehicle that is too high or wide causes damage to any council property, the council reserve the right to claim those damages back from the customer.  

Motorcycles are not permitted to use the car parks. Any motorcycle parked within the car park may be liable to receive a Penalty Charge Notice.

Trailers, caravans, boats and any other towed conveyances are not permitted within the car parks. 

The customer shall not at any time:

• tow any vehicle into the car park
• carry out any repairs, renovations, additions or alterations to any vehicle whilst it is parked in the car park

The customer shall not at any time at the car park:

• sell, hire, exhibit for sale or conduct any negotiations or dealings whether legal or illegal
• carry out any illegal or immoral acts whatsoever

CCTV and ANPR are in operation at this car park and recorded material may be used as evidence to support the prosecution of those engaged in criminal activity.

Unless otherwise specified in writing, any ticket issued by the council is not transferable.

In default of production of a ticket, the council will refuse to release the vehicle until customer identification is ascertained, and a replacement ticket is administered for payment where necessary.

All parking sessions must be paid for in advance of exiting the car park. Any vehicle which attempts to exit without making payment will become liable for further action on behalf of the council which may include criminal proceedings and civil recovery of the costs for investigating the offence alongside any monies owed for parking or damage to council equipment or assets. 

Tailgating of another vehicle at the entry or exit barriers is strictly prohibited, any car park users seen to tailgate another vehicle may have their implied invitation to park removed. Brighton and Hove City Council may instruct legal representatives to begin proceedings for the recovery of costs in a County Court. We may also choose to pass details of the offence to the police to commence criminal proceedings separately. 

The staff who operate this car park have the right to perform their daily duties free from verbal or physical abuse from the users of this facility. Any incidents of this nature will be reported to the police and offenders will be prosecuted.

Customers shall drive carefully and considerately and obey the staff, direction marking, signs and speed limits. After parking a vehicle, customers and their passengers shall use the pedestrian walkways and exits as applicable.

A vehicle will be treated as abandoned where the vehicle remains in the car park for a period of 14 days without prior notification having been given in writing to the Transport Control Centre. 

Any vehicle deemed to be abandoned shall automatically attract a storage surcharge and the registered keeper will be invoiced at an appropriate rate for the car park.

Tickets shall remain the property of the council at all times. 

Vehicles parked in the car park shall abide by any other terms and conditions as published in the car park and must comply with the national laws and local bylaws where applicable.

Failure to comply with any of the above terms and conditions will result in the vehicle details being recorded and may lead to the vehicle and customer losing their implied invitation to park in future.

The price to be paid shall be as quoted on our website and the tariff information boards which are situated at various points throughout the car park. The price for the ticket shall be inclusive of VAT and a VAT receipt can be obtained at the payment machines once a transaction is completed. 

Tariff prices are set by elected members of Brighton and Hove City Council and the council may increase our ticket prices from time to time.

Any such increases will be advertised:

• on-site at the car park
• on the website in advance

If your ticket is lost or stolen, we can issue a replacement at a payment machine using the registration number of the vehicle that has been parked. Vehicle registration numbers are logged at the car park entrance by the Automatic Number Plate Recognition camera. You may be asked to verify your time of entry.

We reserve the right to charge the 24-hour tariff cost plus an administration fee for lost tickets, especially if tickets have been lost on multiple occasions previously.

If your ticket does not work for any reason, save where you have misused or failed to take proper care of your ticket, then we'll issue a replacement ticket at no additional charge.

If you have misused or failed to take proper care of your season ticket we'll be entitled to charge for the 24-hour tariff plus an administration fee, which shall be payable to us at the time of the replacement request. 

In the event of an over-payment or an over-charge, which is due to equipment or software failure, customers are entitled to claim back any monies which were not owed in line with the tariffs as printed on the tariff information boards.

Where there's reason for a refund to be processed, customers may be offered car park credits to be used against future parking at Brighton and Hove City Council’s barrier-controlled car parks. These credits can be redeemed against a future charge at a payment machine before the payment is processed by the customer.

Car park credits will be stored on an electronic database for a period of 1 year after which they will expire. Car park credits cannot be exchanged for a refund at a later date and Brighton and Hove City Council will accept no liability should customers fail to use the credits before they expire.

For card payments, refunds will be processed back onto the card from which the payment was made which may take 3 to 5 working days to process from the date the refund is authorised by a council officer.

When there's the need to refund any part of a cash payment transaction then this refund will be made by BACS payment into the customer bank account which may take up to 10 working days from when the refund request is authorised by a council officer.

If an overpayment is made due to customer error or negligence, Brighton and Hove City Council will not be accountable for rectifying the cost. No refund or car park credits will be provided.

All requests for a refund must be made by:

• sending an email to trafficcontrolcentre@brighton-hove.gov.uk
• using the web form on the Brighton and Hove City Council website
• post to Transport Control Centre, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 4AH 

The provision of disabled parking bays is made for the sole use of vehicles displaying a valid Blue Badge clearly on the dashboard so that it can be seen through the windscreen.

It is not necessary for the clock on the blue badge to be set or displayed.

Blue badge holders are not exempt from the parking charges in this car park and must pay the tariff charge before exiting.

Vehicles parking in a Blue Badge space and not displaying a valid Blue Badge visible through the windscreen will be liable to receive a Penalty Charge Notice issued on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council by a Civil Enforcement Officer.

On occasion, details of Blue Badges may be recorded by Civil Enforcement Officers to prevent fraud or misuse.

Brighton and Hove City Council have designated specific parking spaces for the provision of charging electric vehicles whilst those vehicles are parked within the car park. These parking spaces are for the use of customers parking plug-in electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles only. 

Any person wishing to use the electric vehicle charging facilities is responsible for paying the electric charge to the charging unit operator. 

Valid vehicles that have used the electric charging facilities will need to pay the appropriate parking tariff charge before exiting in addition to any fees paid to the charging unit operator.

Vehicles parking in an electric vehicle charging which are not plug-in electric or are not actively plugged-in to charge will be liable to receive a Penalty Charge Notice issued on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council by a Civil Enforcement Officer. 

Guests and delegates of the Brighton Centre may at the hotel’s discretion benefit from a reduced tariff. Any reduced tariff is provided by the Brighton Centre and the council officers have no control of the application of these reduced tariffs. 

Customers will need to keep their entry ticket to present to the reception at the Brighton Centre for the reduction to be applied and payment to be taken. After payment has been made, users will be provided with a voucher to use alongside their ticket at the exit barrier. 

It's the responsibility of the car park user to ensure that they have the entry ticket and payment voucher to present at the exit barrier. The user must scan the entry ticket barcode followed by the payment voucher barcode to exit the car park. 

If there's difficulty using the system at the exit, users can contact the council officer on duty by using the intercom at the exit barrier. Officers are unable to allow exit without proof of payment being presented and users without this proof will be asked to return to the Brighton Centre reception for validation purposes. 

Brighton Centre guests and delegates will not be permitted to leave the car park without payment having been made, including occasions where the customer intends to return to the car park to continue their business at the Brighton Centre.

Any payments made to the Brighton Centre for parking are the responsibility of the Brighton Centre and Brighton and Hove City Council will not refund any part of those transactions. 

Brighton Centre guests and delegates using this car park are not guaranteed any particular space in the car park nor priority over other customers. Guests and delegates will not receive any preferential treatment from council officers and will not receive any form of fast-track access during busy periods.

Customers must park within the marking of a designated space. The council reserves the right to nominate specific bays for designated use.

Guests of the hotel above the car park may at the hotel’s discretion benefit from a reduced tariff. Any reduced tariff is provided by the hotel and the council officers have no control of the application of these reduced tariffs.

Customers will need to keep their entry ticket to present to the reception at the hotel for the reduction to be applied and payment to be taken. After payment has been made, users will be provided with a voucher to use alongside their ticket at the exit barrier.

It's the responsibility of the car park user to ensure that they have the entry ticket and payment voucher to present at the exit barrier. The user must scan the entry ticket barcode followed by the payment voucher barcode to exit the car park.

If there's difficulty using the system at the exit, users can contact the council officer on duty by using the intercom at the exit barrier. Officers are unable to allow exit without proof of payment being presented and users without this proof will be asked to return to the hotel reception for validation purposes.

Hotel guests will not be permitted to leave the car park without payment having been made, including occasions where the customer intends to return to the car park to continue their hotel stay.

Any payments made to the hotel above the car park for parking are the responsibility of the hotel and Brighton and Hove City Council will not refund any part of those transactions.

Hotel guests using this car park are not guaranteed any particular space in the car park nor priority over other customers. Hotel guests will not receive any preferential treatment from council officers and will not receive any form of fast-track access during busy periods.

Customers must park within the marking of a designated space. The council reserves the right to nominate specific bays for designated use.