The short version
- Six LTN schemes were quashed and removed.
- PCNs issued on those roads between 30 March 2024 and 4 March 2026 can be refunded.
- You claim through Croydon Council’s own refund form.
- PCNs issued before March 2024 are not covered, and neither is any other Croydon street.
What the court actually decided
The case is R (Lawrence) v London Borough of Croydon [2026] EWHC 483 (Admin), decided by Mr Justice Pepperall and handed down on 4 March 2026. The claimant was Karen Lawrence of the Open Our Roads group.
The judge quashed the council’s February 2024 decision to make six LTN schemes permanent. The officer’s report that went to Cabinet set out the financial implications of the schemes, recording a total projected surplus of £10.7 million over the four years 2023 to 2027, a figure the judgment sets out at paragraph 100. The report summarised the public objection that the schemes were financially driven, and answered it by saying only that the money is ring-fenced for the highway.
The judge found that the council’s dominant purpose in making the orders permanent was to raise revenue rather than any purpose allowed by section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, and quashed the orders.
Which roads are covered
- Albert Road
- Dalmally Road
- Elmers Road
- Holmesdale Road
- Parsons Mead
- Sutherland Road
The schemes sat across Addiscombe, Broad Green and South Norwood. All six have been removed.
Which fines can be refunded
| Your PCN | Refundable? |
|---|---|
| Issued on one of the six roads, 30 March 2024 to 4 March 2026 | Yes. Claim it |
| Issued on one of the six roads before 30 March 2024 | No. The judgment attached to the February 2024 permanence decision, so earlier PCNs are outside it |
| Issued on any other Croydon road | No. Only these six schemes were quashed |
| A Croydon school street, bus lane or box junction PCN | No. Different schemes, different orders, unaffected by this judgment |
How to claim
- Find your PCN number. It is on the notice, and on any letter or email from Croydon or its enforcement agents.
- Check the road and the date against the table above.
- Complete Croydon’s refund request form at forms.croydon.gov.uk/form/ltn-refund-request. The council’s own page explaining the scheme is croydon.gov.uk.
- Have your details ready. The council verifies the address, the bank details and the vehicle before paying, so give the details that match the PCN.
Questions people ask
I paid it. Do I still get it back? Yes. The refund scheme exists precisely for people who paid.
I never paid and it went to enforcement. Contact the council with your PCN number rather than the enforcement agent, and say the PCN falls within the quashed schemes. Do not ignore an enforcement letter while you wait.
Is there a deadline? The council has not published one. That is not a reason to leave it. Claim now.
I got several. Each PCN is claimed separately.
What this does not mean
It is worth being straight about this, because a lot of what is being said online is wrong.
This is not a general amnesty on LTN fines. Croydon lost on its own particular facts: a £10.7 million projection put in front of Cabinet, and an answer to the revenue objection that did not deny revenue was the purpose.
Challenges elsewhere have failed. The Lambeth LTNs survived a challenge in the High Court in 2021 and again in the Court of Appeal in 2022. Tower Hamlets won its case in December 2024.
Other Croydon schemes are not affected. We checked the officer’s report behind Croydon’s Healthy School Streets decision of 24 July 2024. It expressly told Cabinet that a reduction in projected income “is not a relevant consideration”, and that the Road Traffic Regulation Act “is not a fiscal measure nor is its purpose revenue raising”. That is the opposite of what happened with the LTN report, and it is why those schemes stand.
If your street is not on the list
Most people reading this will not qualify, and that does not mean the PCN is sound. The judgment is one way a penalty fails. There are others, and they are far more common:
- The signs.An authority must place signs so that adequate information about the effect of the order reaches drivers, and must maintain them for as long as the order is in force. That duty is in regulation 18(1)(a) and (b) of the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. A sign hidden by a hedge is a live ground.
- The moment you could still comply. A charge is for failing to comply with an indication a sign gave you. If the sign was only readable after the point of no return, there was nothing to comply with.
- The notice itself. The PCN has to contain what the statute requires, and the timing has to be right.
- The order. If no valid order covers the restriction, or the restriction on the ground does not match the order, the charge falls with it.
Check what is wrong with your PCN.
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Check my chargeFrequently asked questions
Which Croydon roads are covered by the LTN refund?
Albert Road, Dalmally Road, Elmers Road, Holmesdale Road, Parsons Mead and Sutherland Road, across Addiscombe, Broad Green and South Norwood.
Which Croydon LTN fines can be refunded?
Penalty charge notices issued on those six roads between 30 March 2024 and 4 March 2026. PCNs issued before 30 March 2024 are not covered, because the judgment attached to the council's February 2024 decision to make the orders permanent.
Why were the Croydon LTNs ruled unlawful?
In R (Lawrence) v London Borough of Croydon [2026] EWHC 483 (Admin), Mr Justice Pepperall found that the council's dominant purpose in making the orders permanent was to raise revenue rather than any purpose permitted by section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, and quashed the orders.
Does this mean all LTN fines are refundable?
No. Croydon lost on its own facts. Challenges to Lambeth's LTNs failed in the High Court in 2021 and the Court of Appeal in 2022, and Tower Hamlets won its case in December 2024.
Are Croydon school street fines refundable too?
No. The Healthy School Streets schemes were made permanent by a separate Cabinet decision on 24 July 2024, and that officer's report expressly told Cabinet that projected income was not a relevant consideration.
Sources. R (Lawrence) v London Borough of Croydon [2026] EWHC 483 (Admin), Mr Justice Pepperall, 4 March 2026; the £10.7 million projection is at paragraph 100. Croydon Council LTN penalty refund page. Croydon Cabinet, 24 July 2024, item 188, Healthy School Streets Group 4 Cabinet report, sections 10.1.2, 10.1.4 and 10.2.8. R (Sheakh) v London Borough of Lambeth, High Court 2021 and Court of Appeal 2022.
This guide is general information about a specific court decision and a specific council refund scheme. It is not legal advice and it does not create any promise about the outcome of any individual challenge. Check your own PCN and the council’s own refund page before relying on anything here.