Free parking at Ancells Farm, Fleet is capped at four hours from the end of September, with no overnight stays. How to avoid a charge and how to appeal one.

Number plate cameras are due to start policing the car park beside Ancells Farm Community Centre in Fleet at the end of September. Parking stays free, but only for up to four hours, and overnight parking is banned.

The car park is run by a private company, not a council. Fleet Town Council, which runs the community centre, says it was not consulted.

What changes

Fleet Town Council has published a set of questions and answers for people who use the centre. It says the car park is managed by Mason Owen and enforced by Horizon Parking using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). (Fleet Town Council, 4 September 2026)

The rules, as the town council sets them out:

  • free for up to four hours, between 6am and 11.30pm
  • no parking between 11.30pm and 6am unless the operator authorises it
  • no return within one hour of leaving
  • a 20-minute grace period for dropping someone off, and again for collecting them
  • longer stays must be registered on a tablet inside the centre’s foyer

The council says the system “is expected to go live at the end of September 2026”. Signs are to go up before enforcement starts. It has not published the amount of the charge; that will be on the signs in the car park.

The owner and managing agent brought the scheme in “to help ensure parking spaces remain available for genuine users of the businesses and facilities located at Ancells Farm”, the council says.

Who it catches

The same car park is the one Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust points walkers to for Ancells Farm Nature Reserve, a 12-hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest next door. (HIWWT, Ancells Farm Nature Reserve)

The centre itself is also home to Ancells Farm Pre-School, according to the Food Standards Agency register. (FSA, Ancells Farm Pre-School) The 20-minute grace period is the rule that matters for drop-offs. The town council says you can leave within 20 minutes, come back later and use another 20 minutes to collect.

Other users have their own arrangements, according to the council:

  • the pub and the dentist have their own validation tablets
  • residents register through a separate exemption portal
  • sports clubs hiring the town council’s facilities at Ancells Farm get tablet access for stays over four hours
  • the town council’s access road behind the pub is not part of the enforcement area

Hirers of the community centre are expected to tell everyone coming to their booking. That includes parents, spectators, coaches, volunteers and contractors.

What it means for you

For a short visit, nothing changes. A walk round the nature reserve, a class or a drink at the pub will normally fit inside four hours.

For anything longer, register the car. The tablet in the community centre foyer gives a 24-hour exemption, so leaving and coming back later that day is covered. Type the registration carefully. The council says a wrong entry can bring a charge, though Horizon has told it “genuine first-time input errors will normally be reviewed and may be cancelled”.

Watch the one-hour rule. Two separate visits on the same day are allowed. But leaving and coming straight back to restart the four hours is exactly what the rule is there to stop.

If the tablet is broken, the council says Horizon will suspend enforcement while the fault is fixed. Enforcement can also be suspended for major events given advance notice, and the town council says it will tell Horizon about polling days.

If you get a Parking Charge Notice

This is a private charge, not a council fine. It works differently from a ticket in one of Hart’s own car parks, which we cover in our guide to parking in Fleet.

  • The town council cannot cancel it. It says all appeals go to Horizon Parking, on 01245 392289.
  • Appeal to Horizon first. Horizon says it is a member of the British Parking Association’s Approved Operator Scheme. If your appeal is turned down, it gives you a reference for the independent appeals service, POPLA, valid for 28 days. POPLA will not hear a case that has not been appealed to Horizon first. (Horizon Parking, Parking charge FAQs)
  • Know the deadlines. Horizon asks for payment within 28 days, with a reduced rate if paid within 14 days. If you take a case to POPLA and lose, you lose the right to pay the reduced amount.
  • Keep your evidence. The town council suggests sending anything that shows your visit, your booking or your activity at the centre.

The town council’s page is marked as guidance only, based on what the operator has told it. The signs in the car park are the terms that apply.