Well, I'm afraid it depends, on a case like this, which adjudicator you get, because clearly, the lines are in perfect order where they have been painted, so either there is to be a parking bay there for one vehicle, or, when the painters turned up, there was a vehicle there, so they left the job for another day. The council inevitably will not give way, so you'd have to take them to the adjudicators in Scotland. This means risking the full PCN penalty.
However, best thing to do is to submit representations with your picture showing the gap, and point out that as double-yellow lines require no signs, the absence of the lines where you parked is sufficient information to show that you could park there. Certainly don't just cough-up until you've had a response, and maybe not even then, if their response is crap.
