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#Post#: 125300--------------------------------------------------
PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid permit -
Hampshire County Council
DIR By: Rightbak
Date: July 21, 2026, 10:56 am
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Hi all
Hampshire County Council
(Code 16) Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit
Location: Riverside Avenue, Fareham, PO16 8TF
I parked in the space without seeing the sign (as you will see
from photos, the sign was enclosed by a hedge!). I do not have a
valid permit. I have not paid the PCN at this point.
Here is a link to the PCN photos
HTML https://imgpile.com/p/GsNclO4
And my photos taken of PCN, hedge and parking sign
HTML https://imgpile.com/p/PvdXlfw
Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks :)
#Post#: 125301--------------------------------------------------
Re: PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit - Hampshire County Council
DIR By: stamfordman
Date: July 21, 2026, 11:15 am
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Looks like the CEO may have moved a few twigs to make the sign
more visible.
Looks a good case if that's the only parking sign in that bay.
How good are the bay markings.
#Post#: 125302--------------------------------------------------
Re: PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit - Hampshire County Council
DIR By: Rightbak
Date: July 21, 2026, 11:31 am
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Hi
There is an additional sign further down the bay, but the
officer did not take a photo of the car in relation to it.
Here it is from StreetView - taken from directly adjacent to the
covered parking sign. The other sign is at the far end that can
just me made out.
HTML https://imgpile.com/p/EUqskEd
#Post#: 125305--------------------------------------------------
Re: PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit - Hampshire County Council
DIR By: fraser.mitchell
Date: July 21, 2026, 12:26 pm
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--- Quote from: Rightbak link ---
>
> Hi
>
> There is an additional sign further down the bay, but the
officer did not take a photo of the car in relation to it.
>
> Here it is from StreetView - taken from directly adjacent to
the covered parking sign. The other sign is at the far end that
can just me made out.
>
>
HTML https://imgpile.com/p/EUqskEd
>
--- End Quote ---
Best if you send a GSV link rather than a screen capture. It
means we can mozy around the location.
#Post#: 125309--------------------------------------------------
Re: PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit - Hampshire County Council
DIR By: tincombe
Date: July 21, 2026, 1:06 pm
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IMO, you would struggle at adjudication.
Your photos are from improbable angles because these are not
where a driver would view the sign. In any event, the second
sign in the parking place is clear and approx. 20m from the sign
in question, therefore even if there wasn't even a sign where
you parked, the other one would be considered adequate.
Make reps within the 14-day period and safeguard the discount.
#Post#: 125318--------------------------------------------------
Re: PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit - Hampshire County Council
DIR By: Rightbak
Date: July 21, 2026, 2:36 pm
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--- Quote from: tincombe link ---
>
> IMO, you would struggle at adjudication.
>
> Your photos are from improbable angles because these are not
where a driver would view the sign. In any event, the second
sign in the parking place is clear and approx. 20m from the sign
in question, therefore even if there wasn't even a sign where
you parked, the other one would be considered adequate.
>
> Make reps within the 14-day period and safeguard the discount.
>
--- End Quote ---
From where I parked I could not see the sign at all as it was
completely covered by the hedge. The CEO had to take his photo
from close up and under the hedge to get his shot, and even his
angle does not show the full sign or the permit letter required.
My photo is from directly opposite the sign at eye height where
I felt someone would stand to read it? But yes you are correct
the other sign is clear - although I did not walk past it. Is
there a templated appeal response to use, or would it be better
if I post my own appeal here for review?
#Post#: 125323--------------------------------------------------
Re: PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit - Hampshire County Council
DIR By: tincombe
Date: July 21, 2026, 4:00 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
From where I parked I could not see the sign at all as it was
completely covered by the hedge.
And this is what worries me and wherein lies your problem IMO.
If you imagine for a moment that it wasn't there, then on
parking your duty was to discover a traffic sign which did
convey the restriction and you should have looked and found the
other sign. The legal test is that signage should be adequate.
So, if you did see the post then with minimal effort you could
have read the sign, but if you did not then you should have
found the other(the 'only' in this scenario) traffic sign.
This is my worry at adjudication. Given the moderate length of
the parking place then IMO a single sign would suffice to meet
the 'adequacy' test.
There will be other views.
You lose nothing by making reps within the 14-day period.
#Post#: 125326--------------------------------------------------
Re: PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit - Hampshire County Council
DIR By: Rightbak
Date: July 21, 2026, 4:29 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: tincombe link ---
>
> From where I parked I could not see the sign at all as it was
completely covered by the hedge.
>
> And this is what worries me and wherein lies your problem IMO.
If you imagine for a moment that it wasn't there, then on
parking your duty was to discover a traffic sign which did
convey the restriction and you should have looked and found the
other sign. The legal test is that signage should be adequate.
>
> So, if you did see the post then with minimal effort you could
have read the sign, but if you did not then you should have
found the other(the 'only' in this scenario) traffic sign.
>
> This is my worry at adjudication. Given the moderate length of
the parking place then IMO a single sign would suffice to meet
the 'adequacy' test.
>
> There will be other views.
>
> You lose nothing by making reps within the 14-day period.
>
--- End Quote ---
Yes if adjudication can pull up other evidence in addition to
that provided by the CEO i.e. google streetview, then I do admit
the other sign will meet the adequacy test and I should have
seen it.
If adjudication only rely on CEO evidence then I would certainly
hope they would judge the signage as being unsatisfactory. The
CEO has only provided evidence of my car in relation to the one
sign hidden in the hedge, not the one down the road.
#Post#: 125333--------------------------------------------------
Re: PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit - Hampshire County Council
DIR By: fraser.mitchell
Date: July 21, 2026, 5:27 pm
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Parking in a marked bay puts you under an obligation to look for
the sign controlling the bay, that is why the bay is marked out
on the street, because there are restrictions on parking there.
As tincombe says, there was an easily found sign but you didn't
go and look for it. IMHO you would not win at adjudication.
#Post#: 125352--------------------------------------------------
Re: PCN Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid
permit - Hampshire County Council
DIR By: Rightbak
Date: July 22, 2026, 3:41 am
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Thanks all - I will appeal but I'm not expecting a favourable
outcome.
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