Case yesterday. Not the same road but looks similar.
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Case reference 2250574385
Appellant Christina Williams
Authority London Borough of Redbridge
VRM LS12LRZ
PCN Details
PCN AF10667448
Contravention date 14 Jul 2025
Contravention time 14:14:00
Contravention location Mansfield Road
Penalty amount GBP 160.00
Contravention Parked resident/shared use without a valid permit
Referral date -
Decision Date 02 Apr 2026
Adjudicator Martin Hoare
Appeal decision Appeal allowed
Direction
cancel the Penalty Charge Notice.
Reasons
Ms Williams attended this Teams appeal hearing. The Authority did not attend.
Ms Williams submitted there was no signage indicating the permit requirement.
The Authority wrote ‘The vehicle was parked within a designated residents’ parking zone on Mansfield Road. This zone is clearly signed in accordance with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD). Entry signs at the start of the zone indicate that parking is restricted to permit holders during controlled hours. Within the zone, time plates are affixed to lamp posts adjacent to marked bays, and the restriction applies to the entire zone, not solely to individual bays.’
Ms Williams explained that the matter was confusing on Mansfield Road where she parked as there were permit parking signs and bay in some places, though not where she parked.
The civil enforcement officer’s photographs establish that the car was parked at an unsigned side of the carriageway.
The Authority plan does not plot the parameters of the zone, the location of the entry point signs nor the location of the car.
The Authority includes a photograph of a permit parking sign within the zone. The positioning of the sign can lead to the reasonable conclusion that locations in the zone which do not have such signs are not permit only parking locations.
The Authority evidence on this occasion does not establish that the signage was adequate overall.
The appeal is allowed.
Thank you - are you able to let me know where you can find these cases and outcomes? I can do some further reading on similar appeals.
I've also taken a stab at the initial appeal to the council. Please let me know if this is appropriate or if anything further is required:I was puzzled to receive the PCN as it appeared the driver had parked in an unrestricted street. Where the vehicle was parked, there were no permit parking signs, no road markings indicating a permit parking zone, nor were there any permit zone entry signs at the start of the street. Therefore, the contravention simply did not occur.
Upon finding the ticket, I took photos of the vehicle as parked and walked along the street re-checking for signs to indicate that there was any sort of restriction in place. As I had noticed, there were some sections of the road marked with parking restriction signs, but these were a distance away from the section of road the vehicle was parked on. There were also paid parking bays, clearly marked out on the road, but not where the vehicle was parked, which was completely unmarked, of signage and road markings.
At this point I went home and was confident that there had been a mistake because even after looking around, there was nothing to suggest restrictions in place where I had parked. The pictures provided by the enforcement officer also do not show any permit parking signs within the vicinity of the vehicle. There is one singular close-up picture of a permit parking sign with no reference as to where that sign actually is, or even if it from the same street. There are also no pictures from the enforcement officer evidencing any entry signage to Mildmay road.
Having done some further research, it appears that parts of the street are permit parking only zones. I have identified that the permit parking area in question does not conform to the Department for Transport's Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 3, which provides guidance on the appropriate use of permit parking areas designated by entry signs alone (without bay markings). Paragraph 13.10.2 of the guidance states that this type of signing is suitable for "a cul-de-sac or a small network of roads with little or no through traffic" and warns that "otherwise the lack of road markings might tempt drivers unfamiliar with the area to park.". Mildmay road is a cul-de-sac which fits the exact example displayed in the Traffic Order Manual, and given the lack of entry signs at Mildmay Road, the zone does not follow governmental guidance.
Additionally, within Redbridge council's order documentation, a "Permit Parking Area" is defined as "a named area listed in Schedule 3 ... for the leaving of vehicles in which a Valid Permit is required to be displayed ... and which is signed as such at the entrance to the Permit Parking Area ...". Redbridge's own definition of a permit parking area requires the area to have entrance signs, and given that Mildmay Road does not, it cannot be considered a Permit Parking Area.
Alongside this, there have been several cases to adjudicator where this exact situation has occurred, and appeals have been allowed for the lack of signage:
- Appeal 2240350574: Allowed due to the lack of road markings.
- Appeal 2250466688: Allowed due to lack of entry signage to the area.
- Appeal 2250574385: Allowed due to lack of repeater signage in vicinity of where the car was parked.
The adjudicator has agreed multiple times in the past that it is extremely difficult for drivers to identify that there is a restriction at all when there is no entry signage, let alone when there is additionally a lack of repeater signage, as well as a lack of road markings. The area is inconsistent with official guidance, which anticipates its use only where drivers can reasonably be expected to understand the extent of the restricted area.
As explained, there are clearly several issues with this charge and I request that this is promptly cancelled to avoid causing any further unfair and unwarranted disruption for something that was simply the result of the lack of signage.
I attach the following photographic and pictorial evidence:
1. Photograph showing vehicle parked outside the single yellow line area, double yellow line area, bay parking area
2. Photograph showing lack of repeater signage in the vicinity of where the vehicle was parked
3. Photograph of the lack of entry signage at Mildmay road
4. Department for Transport Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 3 extract (Section 13.10 – Permit Parking Areas)
