Car parking

You can pay for a parking permit via:

• APCOA Connect contactless payment (via App, Web, SMS and Phone)
• Our Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) via cash or card. You can buy Daily or Weekly Parking Permits using our TVMs. Please remember that you need to clearly display your Parking Permit. 
• City Centre Pre-Book – Pre-book your parking online in advance.
• Season Tickets Portal – a convenient choice if you regularly park in one of our Southeastern car parks.

We’re sorry, but a vacant parking space cannot always be guaranteed.

As before, Blue Badge Holders do not need to pay for their parking. However, the vehicle(s) must be registered with the APCOA system in advance.
This can be accessed in the following ways:

• APCOA's Blue Badge website
• Telephone: 0345 222 7262
• Email: general.enquiries@apcoa.com

We understand many customers use more than one vehicle to travel to and from the station and therefore customers can register up to 10 vehicles on the system and can register them at any time.

Motorcyclists can park free of charge in the designated motorcycle bays. If you park your motorcycle in a car bay, you will need to pay for a parking ticket.

A new APCOA Taxi Permit Portal is available where taxi drivers will be able to register and apply for a new annual permit. The full terms and conditions are available to be viewed on the portal.

Please contact APCOA’s customer services team.

You can pay your Penalty Notice by using APCOA’s secure online portal, or by sending a cheque or postal order made out to APCOA Parking (UK) Ltd to

PO Box 1010
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 9NT

Please note that in order to pay for your Penalty Notice, you will need the Penalty Notice reference number and your vehicle registration number to hand.

All appeals and representations must be made in writing to APCOA. 

Please note that APCOA do not accept any appeals by phone or email. 

All appeals against a Penalty Notice must be made either through APCOA’s secure online portal or by writing to the below address, within 28 days of the date your Parking Notice was issued to you.

PO Box 1010
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 9NT

Please note that you will need to provide your Penalty Notice reference number and your vehicle registration with your appeal.

You can make a further appeal to Parking On Private Land Appeal service (POPLA) within 28 days of receiving your rejection letter. Details of this are available at www.popla.co.uk.

APCOA should have issued you with a 10-digit verification code, which you must use with your appeal to POPLA. This will be shown on your rejection letter.

The new ANPR system is being delivered in phases starting with changes to payment methods from Monday 24 February. 

The system will be fully operational and used for enforcement at the 42 selected stations from 30 March.  

In the meantime, parking enforcement will continue to be provided by mobile patrols, as it is today. These patrols can check which vehicles have paid through a secure online system.

Customers should pay for their parking using one of the payment options outlined above and below. 

When the ANPR system is switched on at the selected stations, additional payment options, including ‘Late Pay’ will be available. 

Ashford International	Folkestone Central	Marden	Staplehurst
Barming	Gillingham	Meopham	Stonegate
Battle	Gravesend	Mottingham	Strood
Bexley	Hastings	Orpington	Tonbridge
Borough Green	Hayes	Otford	Tunbridge Wells
Canterbury East	Headcorn	Paddock Wood	Wadhurst
Chatham	Higham	Petts Wood	West Malling
Crayford	High Brooms	Rainham	West Wickham
Dartford	Hildenborough	Sevenoaks	Woolwich Arsenal
Eltham	Longfield	Sidcup
Faversham	Maidstone East	Sittingbourne

Stations which are not listed above will not be using ANPR, but in order to provide a standard and consistent approach across our network, the same changes to payment options will apply. Enforcement at these car parks will continue to be provided by patrols, as it is today.

As before, Blue Badge Holders do not need to pay for their parking. However, the vehicle(s) must be registered with the APCOA system in advance. This can be accessed in the following ways:

• Website: https://bluebadge.apcoa.co.uk/
• Telephone: 0345 222 7262
• Email: general.enquiries@apcoa.com

We understand many customers use more than one vehicle to travel to and from the station and therefore customers can register up to 10 vehicles on the system and can register them at any time.

Yes, but following customer feedback we have now introduced the ability to pay for your parking at Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs). You can pay by using cash at most stations alongside card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. 

There are a small number of station TVMs which cannot accept cash and they are listed below.  

The Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) at the following stations are not able to accept cash payments. Southeastern has launched a public tender process to replace TVMs across the network and therefore replacing a small number in the short term in order to accept cash is not cost effective. 

Paying for your parking with cash is not possible at these locations, please use one of the other payment options available.

Barming	Lenham	Shortlands
Charing (Kent)	Marden	Sole Street
Harrietsham	Robertsbridge	West Malling
Knockholt	Sandwich	Whitstable

Yes. You won’t need to buy a ticket if you’re picking up or dropping off for less than 20 minutes at all Southeastern stations.

A short grace period of 20 minutes is allowed once the vehicle has entered the camera zone to allow for dropping off, picking up etc. After this period payment is required at the applicable tariff. Non-payment will result in a postal penalty notice being issued.

We recommend that you track the progress of our trains using the Southeastern app.

Please pay for your car park ticket when you arrive at the car park, as you do today.  

No. Regardless of how you choose to pay, you no longer need to display a parking ticket in your vehicle.  

Once ANPR is fully operational at the 42 selected stations, there will be a ‘Late Pay’ option available. With Late Pay you have up to 24 hours to pay for your parking. This is available on the APCOA website. 

Until then, please continue to pay for your parking when you arrive, as you do today.

We recognise some stations have limited mobile phone signal but don’t worry – it’s still simple and easy to pay for your parking by using one of the ticket vending machines. The vast majority of these machines accept cash, alongside card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. 

Our ticket offices are not able to record and upload vehicle registrations and it is not cost effective to modify their systems. 

This brings Southeastern car parks in line with many other car parking providers, including councils and other transport providers. 

For customers, it is simpler and more convenient and means no one will need to return to their car to show they have paid for their parking. 

The technology also helps to ensure all customers pay for their parking – contributing towards reducing our subsidy while also reducing the costs of collecting car parking payment. In the medium term, it can also provide more data on car park usage, helping to improve future parking offers. 

The camera system provides 24/7 coverage, and it is much more secure for customers. The additional security also helps to deter crime, anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and vandalism.

Yes. As a publicly operated train operator we have a duty to ensure we are protecting taxpayers’ money wherever possible. The introduction of ANPR is the most cost-effective and efficient way to manage our car parks while also ensuring everyone pays their fair share when using the services.

Yes. We conduct Equality Impact Assessments (EQIA) when we make any changes to our operations and one was carried out before this switch to the ANPR system.

Download our car park EqIA PDF