Hi,

First I apologise if this thread is posted in the wrong forum; I'm not really sure where or who to ask.

I was just wondering if a Company with designated parking spaces, sharing the same land as residents with designated numbered parking spaces (flats), with the parking lot separated from a public road with a barrier and keyfob system, constitutes as private land.

If so, would it be possible to keep a SORN vehicle in a parking bay designated for the Company I work for?

I plan on keeping my car at work after SORNing the vehicle. Obviously I won't if it's illegal. SORN instructions say to keep it on private land. If the parking bay is classed as private land, I should be okay, right?

Additionally, am I still allowed to enter the SORN vehicle with a key (obviously to unlock it and gain entry) provided I never turn the engine on or move the vehicle on public land?

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance

This isn't really a matter for the private parking forum. I think 'General Motoring Issues' would be better suited, so I'll move the thread there.

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I'd say that you'd be fine as long as you have the landowners or leaseholders permission, so your company saying it's OK would be fine, but they may not be too impressed with loosing a parking space, but that's up to them.

So, it'd be perfectly legal to do.

You can enter the car, start it, drive it around or do anything else you want with it as long as it's on private land, you'd not be breaking any laws or rules as long as it doesn't go outside of the barriers.

That's fantastic news, thanks DragonFly

This thread really should be in DVLA regarding SORN.

Whilst Dragonfly is mostly correct, there are other aspects that you should be aware with vehicles on private land.

In addition to the SORN aspect, whilst it is restricted by keyfob/barrier acess, if there is a footpath going across the land, it could be that under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it can be deemed land to which the public have free access, so section 143 regarding third party insurance applies.

Likewise Section 4 creates the offence of driving or in charge whilst under the influence of drink or drugs on a road or public place.

I am sure that you would not consider doing this, but it would be up to you to ensure the 'no public access' aspect.

Oh I see, I 'm sorry, I wasn't really sure where to write my post

There is a footpath leading up to the barrier and keyfob scanner, and there is also access on foot through the brushes, however the footpath only leads upto the paved car parking lot. By that I mean there is no footpath cutting through the parking lot, only up to it. This, I imagine, is for the residents living in the apartments next to the Company building.

Of course I wouldn't drive under the influence of drink or drugs. I never even drink or take drugs anyway, plus that's a stupid thing to do xD

I'll double check with my CEO; I'm assuming he'd know for sure if it's private land.

Thanks for the help!

This has been discussed here before and the key thing to be aware of is that the law about when a vehicle must be taxed is different from when a vehicle must be insured. The requirement to tax is more limited than the requirement to insure.

The Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 section 29 2(B) says vehicles do not need to be taxed " if the vehicle is being neither used nor kept on a public road", and then in section 62 defines public road for the purposes of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 as "“public road”— in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, means a road which is repairable at the public expense.". So a SORN'd vehicle in a private car park should be OK (as long as it's taxed when you drive it to the car park of course!).

Insurance is dealt with in the Road Traffic Act 1988 s143 and says that a vehicle must be insured if it is "on a road [defined as: 'any highway and any other road to which the public has access'] or other public place ... ". What counts as a "road to which the public has access" or a "public place" depends on the facts of each case but if in practice people do walk through the car park then it's safest to assume that insurance is required.