Parked in a permit area without displaying a permit

Out of interest how long was the period for which you said you were unavailable?

13 days in February from the 10th. And they’ve scheduled the appointment for the 13th!

That seems a bit ridiculous, and it may be worth contacting them to request a change. If you had said (for example) that you were unavailable for 2 months that might be another matter, but 13 days doesn't seem excessive.

It really is ridiculous! I was thinking about giving them a call, as they’ve provided a number on the email.

I refer you to this post for an almost identical situation yesterday:

Re: Letter from Courts - URGENT

That is great, thank you. I’ll keep you updated. I am going to ring them now.

Hi, just an update on my case. I had my mediation phone call today. Obviously the case remains unsettled.

Am I right in thinking the court will now set a hearing date?

So I have been sent a court date and I need to send my witness statement and any documents I wish to rely on by 13th May.
Can anyone point me in the right direction of how to write a good witness statement and potentially what documents would be good to submit. Thank you.

What is the date by which the claimant has to pay the court fee?

The claimant has to pay the court fee by 4pm on May 11th

Then it is usual that DCB Legal will discontinue before May 11 and you will not need to file a Witness Statement. However, it will do you no harm if you do some background research, eg in case they actually pay the fee.

Reply #77:

It'll probably go to a claim. They'll very likely discontinue before the hearing fee is due: DCB LEGAL RECORD OF PRIVATE PARKING COURT CLAIM DISCONTINUATIONS

Ok I will do, thanks.

Depending on your attitude to risk, you may also wish to take some steps to prepare a skeleton of some of the points you will make in a Witness Statement in the event you have to submit one. Of course, in the event they discontinue this will be a 'wasted' effort. But in the rare event they do pay the fee, it means you're not starting from scratch with just 2 days to submit.

Yes of course, this is what I am planning to do anyway. As I wouldn’t want to be panicking and trying to put together a rushed statement.
I just hope they discontinue it. DCB Legal have sent me an email this week asking me to contact them, but I have ignored it. 

Agreed.
They go through a process of offering to “settle” for some amount but if you ignore this eventually comes down to £0.