Free Traffic Legal Advice

The sign you refer to is the sign one sees at the entrance to a parking zone for permit holders only. So until you pass a sign indicating the end of the zone, you are in it, and therefore can only park during the specified hours with a permit.

However, having looked on GSV, the signage could be claimed to be inadequate. Here is a view showing it: -
https://maps.app.goo.gl/sWkVZDmbGBoZDxC36
With signage issues, you usually have to take them to adjudication, because for councils, "everything is perfect". So, submit an informal challenge, stating that the signs are inadequate to convey the restriction.

@EA_RAL as per the guidance here, please re-post the PCN without redacting anything.

At the moment we don't know what evidence the council has to prove the facts.

In the meantime I have requested the traffic order for this restriction, and arguably it's the wrong contravention code as the signs say permit holders only, so it should have been 16 Parked in a permit space or zone without a valid virtual permit or clearly displaying a valid physical permit where required rather than 12 - Parked in a residents’ or shared use parking place without clearly displaying a valid permit or voucher or pay and display ticket issued for that place where required.

But we need the unredacted PCN before we can really do anything else.

The sign you refer to is the sign one sees at the entrance to a parking zone for permit holders only. So until you pass a sign indicating the end of the zone, you are in it, and therefore can only park during the specified hours with a permit.

However, having looked on GSV, the signage could be claimed to be inadequate. Here is a view showing it: -
https://maps.app.goo.gl/sWkVZDmbGBoZDxC36
With signage issues, you usually have to take them to adjudication, because for councils, "everything is perfect". So, submit an informal challenge, stating that the signs are inadequate to convey the restriction.

Thank you for your reply, I actually wasn't aware it was an actual 'zone'. The only visible sign to us was the one before we turned right on the street we parked in. The only other sign on hibbert street was the one the very opposite end of the road.

The use of 12 as opposed to 16 isn't a guaranteed winner IMO, I've tried this previously and the adjudicator was not persuaded(but I won on other grounds).

The single (PPA) sign as opposed to two isn't a silver bullet either, neither is the total lack of 'zone end' signs. The PCN seems compliant. I don't see that the council's photos can show much other than that the car was parked. There are 3 different entrances into this zone and you could have entered via any of them. 

IMO, you should return and note the location of all PPA signs and Zone Ends signs in the area bordered by Wilmslow, Grandale, Claremont and Viscount.

To take an example from GSV, although this might not be current. You referred to a PPA sign at the other end of Hibbert. This faces into Hibbert from Claremont. So, if you are in Hibbert you are in the PPA. And if you go past this sign.....you are still in the PPA because it's not facing you, there's no Zone Ends sign and therefore Claremont is in the PPA.

But it isn't. Or, if it is, then why have the council chosen to place a PPA in a side road off a road which is already in the PPA at this location but not where Hibbert comes off Grandale?

You might need to read this a few times to get the gist!

But now I'd like to see a plan with all PPA and Zone Ends signs in the quadrant which I've set out.

The use of 12 as opposed to 16 isn't a guaranteed winner IMO, I've tried this previously and the adjudicator was not persuaded(but I won on other grounds).

The single (PPA) sign as opposed to two isn't a silver bullet either, neither is the total lack of 'zone end' signs. The PCN seems compliant. I don't see that the council's photos can show much other than that the car was parked. There are 3 different entrances into this zone and you could have entered via any of them. 

IMO, you should return and note the location of all PPA signs and Zone Ends signs in the area bordered by Wilmslow, Grandale, Claremont and Viscount.

To take an example from GSV, although this might not be current. You referred to a PPA sign at the other end of Hibbert. This faces into Hibbert from Claremont. So, if you are in Hibbert you are in the PPA. And if you go past this sign.....you are still in the PPA because it's not facing you, there's no Zone Ends sign and therefore Claremont is in the PPA.

But it isn't. Or, if it is, then why have the council chosen to place a PPA in a side road off a road which is already in the PPA at this location but not where Hibbert comes off Grandale?

You might need to read this a few times to get the gist!

But now I'd like to see a plan with all PPA and Zone Ends signs in the quadrant which I've set out.

These are all the signs in the area. The purple X is the parked car.

I would definitely make formal representations, the council's evidence looks weak and it is quite odd that the photo of the sign was taken 30 minutes later than the photos of the car.

The one thing you must not do is alert the council to the weakness of their case. If you attack the photos or the signage in the representations, they'll know to prepare a water-tight evidence pack for the tribunal. The map you've put in post 12 is probably better evidence than I've ever seen a local council put in front of the tribunal (I suggest you delete it). While you cannot lie or mislead, you are not required to incriminate yourself (people tend to do this a lot for some strange reason).

There is a fair chance the council's evidence at the tribunal could fail to prove a contravention, though of course we can only go by past experience and cannot give any guarantee on the outcome.

Therefore whether you wish to pursue this is not is very much down to your attitude to risk.

Are you the registered keeper and do you have the V5C?

@EA_RAL any updates?

I've now received The City of Manchester (Rusholme and Moss Side Area) (Prohibition and Restriction of Waiting, Limited Waiting Parking Places and Residents Parking, Loading Bays and Amendment) Order 2023.

Sorry for not updating on here, I forwarded all advice and messages from here to my friend and unfortunately she decided not to risk it and paid the discounted fine!

Thank you all for your efforts and advice