Free Traffic Legal Advice

I have received a PCN from the City of Westminster and need help challenging it.

PCN number: WE66878786
Vehicle reg: DN03KTU
Contravention: Code 12r – Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone without a valid virtual permit or clearly displaying a valid physical permit or voucher or pay and display ticket issued for that place where required, or without payment of the parking charges (residents bay)
Location: Upper Berkeley Street [F3]
Date & time: 30/04/2026 at 09:06

My story (brief):
I was visiting London for the first time. I parked outside the house of the person I was visiting – they are a resident. I didn't know I needed a permit. When I got back, I had this PCN. I called the council and explained I was a visitor. They said I still needed a permit, no exceptions. I asked to pay in instalments because I genuinely cannot afford £80. They refused. The agent on the phone advised me to challenge it but wouldn't tell me what to say.

I have never been to London before that day. I have since left and am now back home (west midlands).

What I have checked so far:

· The signage on Upper Berkeley Street appears clear (I can't dispute that).
· The PCN has no obvious errors in dates, amounts, registration, or code.

But I have found some possible technical issues from my own research:

1. The 28-day wording on the PCN may be wrong.
   The PCN says: "The penalty charge must be paid within the period of 28 days beginning with the date on which the alleged contravention occurred."
   Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, Schedule 1, Paragraph 3(2), the 28 days runs from the date of service of the notice, not the contravention date. Is this a procedural impropriety?
2. No evidence of a virtual permit check.
   The CEO assumed no virtual permit. But did they actually check the council's system at 09:06 on 30/04/2026? I want to force them to provide a timestamped log. Without it, can the contravention be proven?
3. The location "Upper Berkeley Street [F3]" is ambiguous.
   What does [F3] mean? It is not a legally defined location in any Traffic Management Order I can find. The PCN must specify the place with certainty.
4. No grace period was allowed.
   The CEO's notes (which I haven't seen yet) do not show any observation period. As a first-time visitor, I could reasonably have been in the process of trying to buy a virtual permit by phone at 09:06.

Images of PCN (front and back):
[Front of PCN – ]
[Back of PCN – ]

Google street view images link:

Google street view link:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/?link=https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5158099,-0.1580482,29a,90y,127.34h,91.23t/data%3D!3m5!1e1!3m3!1s6Im5Gu3kVJrujWsjSim-mA!2e0!6shttps:%252F%252Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%252Fv1%252Fthumbnail%253Fpanoid%253D6Im5Gu3kVJrujWsjSim-mA%2526w%253D900%2526h%253D600%2526ll%253D51.515810,-0.158048%2526yaw%253D127.341812%2526pitch%253D-1.229111%2526thumbfov%253D112%2526cb_client%253Dgmm.iv.ios?g_ep%3DCAISEjI2LjE2LjAuODk4OTU0MjE1MBgAIIGBASpSLDk0Mjk3Njk5LDEwMDgwODUwOCw5NDI4NDQ5OSw5NDIzMTE4OCw5NDI4MDU2OCw0NzA3MTcwNCw5NDIxODY0MSw5NDI4MjEzNCw5NDI4Njg2OUICR0I%253D%26skid%3De5b4545a-5e1d-4f1e-b665-2fbfc14cf59f&apn=com.google.android.apps.maps&afl=https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5158099,-0.1580482,29a,90y,127.34h,91.23t/data%3D!3m5!1e1!3m3!1s6Im5Gu3kVJrujWsjSim-mA!2e0!6shttps:%252F%252Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%252Fv1%252Fthumbnail%253Fpanoid%253D6Im5Gu3kVJrujWsjSim-mA%2526w%253D900%2526h%253D600%2526ll%253D51.515810,-0.158048%2526yaw%253D127.341812%2526pitch%253D-1.229111%2526thumbfov%253D112%2526cb_client%253Dgmm.iv.ios?g_ep%3DCAISEjI2LjE2LjAuODk4OTU0MjE1MBgAIIGBASpSLDk0Mjk3Njk5LDEwMDgwODUwOCw5NDI4NDQ5OSw5NDIzMTE4OCw5NDI4MDU2OCw0NzA3MTcwNCw5NDIxODY0MSw5NDI4MjEzNCw5NDI4Njg2OUICR0I%253D%26skid%3Df6eefed9-df0b-4496-b256-2ae1ac447a92&isi=585027354&ibi=com.google.Maps&ibi=com.google.Rzimuth&ibi=com.google.Azimuth&ibi=com.google.Bzimuth&ibi=com.google.Czimuth&ibi=com.google.Dzimuth&ius=comgooglemapsurl&ifl=https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5158099,-0.1580482,29a,90y,127.34h,91.23t/data%3D!3m5!1e1!3m3!1s6Im5Gu3kVJrujWsjSim-mA!2e0!6shttps:%252F%252Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%252Fv1%252Fthumbnail%253Fpanoid%253D6Im5Gu3kVJrujWsjSim-mA%2526w%253D900%2526h%253D600%2526ll%253D51.515810,-0.158048%2526yaw%253D127.341812%2526pitch%253D-1.229111%2526thumbfov%253D112%2526cb_client%253Dgmm.iv.ios?g_ep%3DCAISEjI2LjE2LjAuODk4OTU0MjE1MBgAIIGBASpSLDk0Mjk3Njk5LDEwMDgwODUwOCw5NDI4NDQ5OSw5NDIzMTE4OCw5NDI4MDU2OCw0NzA3MTcwNCw5NDIxODY0MSw5NDI4MjEzNCw5NDI4Njg2OUICR0I%253D%26skid%3D9d400720-c158-4759-8596-90de95828d8c&cid=7177463979449001589&_osl=https://maps.app.goo.gl/iEvBCzWByL2EaLGo9&_icp=1


What I need help with:

· Are there any other technical flaws (e.g., missing wording on the back, CEO photo issues, traffic order problems)?


I have not paid anything yet. The PCN was served on 30/04/2026, so the 14-day reduced period ends on 14/05/2026.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Here is the sign for the bay that I assume you didn't look for when parking; is my assumption correct ?

Outside the hours on the sign, parking is free and available to all, which is amazing for a location in central London !

Can you look at your link you posted, because all it brings up is the GSV view, there is nothing for the PCN. For posting up a better, (shorter !!!) link, click on the three vertical dots, in the black box top left of the view. CLick on the third option ('share or embed image'), then click on the 'Copy Link'. This will put the link on your Clipboard and you can then past it into your thread.

So all you're now missing is the PCN.

We generally always recommend submitting representations against a PCN, because the council reply sometimes provides a path to a robust appeal that would win at adjudication. However if you cannot contemplate risking the full PCN penalty, it might be best to pay the discount now.

If you don't pay or submit reps, the council will serve a Notice to Owner on the owner as recorded on the Registration Certificatge (V5C). So the next question is - are you the owner.I ask because it is the vehicle owner that has legal responsibility for dealing with council PCNs, not the driver.

The discount option is lost when a NtO is served because it is after 28 days have elapsed since service of the PCN

I have to say I wonder how you afford to run a car at all if you haven't got the £80 !!

I am not the registered owner of the car, just an added driver.

This means you have no role in the legal process, and liability for the PCN rests with the person who owns the car, so you need to tell him/her about the PCN. You can submit informal representations or pay the discount, but if matters get to the Notice to Owner stage, he/her will get it via the post and if the V5C Registration Certificate address is out-of-date, matters could get complicateed.