Ok so in a move that is as much of a surprise as The Pope being revealed as a Catholic, they have rejected my appeal. So I now have to decide whether to cough up the £65 by next Monday or go to adjudication.
The reason given was:
"The circumstances detailed in your letter do not amount to grounds for cancellation of this PCN and are not supported by the evidence.
The driver should no enter the box junction until the exit is clear
The contravention occurs as soon as any part of the vehicle stops on the box and a PCN correctly upheld even if the driver believes the vehicle was not causing an obstruction. Motorists have a responsibility to ensure that they allow enough space between their own vehicle and the vehicle ahead. They must have an adequate field of view, and enough time to respond to road signs and markings"
They then include a link to view the "offence".
It appears to be a "template" rejection, especially considering the fact that I did not send a letter to them (it was all done online / electronically). The location is here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5044282,-0.2183783,3a,75y,82.54h,81.01t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1swl81_gqd9rw7I454hugdcQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D8.991744647729064%26panoid%3Dwl81_gqd9rw7I454hugdcQ%26yaw%3D82.54396344722184!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205410&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwNy4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3DAs always, all thoughts / advice welcome.
I have been reading up on this as much as I can - one thing appears to be the council has falsely claimed that "The contravention occurs as soon as any part of the vehicle stops on the box" when the The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 clearly lists exceptions to this.