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Hi all,

I've received a private Parking Charge Notice from Parking Control Ltd for allegedly being "parked within a restricted area" at The Green Quarter, Southall, London, England.

The PCN was issued by post and I've attached the PCN, their evidence photos, a Google Maps link to the location, and a video showing the approach to the road.

Evidence:

One thing that stood out to me is that there are no signs visible when entering the road. The first sign is only visible once you've already entered, and it's quite lengthy with a lot of text on it.

The evidence photos are timestamped:

21:58:45

21:59:01

22:01:06

22:02:20

So based on their own evidence, the vehicle appears to have been there for around 3 minutes 35 seconds in total. The photos also show the vehicle directly in front of the sign.

The appeal portal shows:

Date: 07/06/2026

Time: 22:02

However, the PCN letter itself refers to 21:56, which doesn't appear anywhere in the evidence photographs provided.

My questions are:

Is there usually any grace/consideration period for reading a sign before deciding whether to stay or leave?

Does the fact that the photos only show around 3 minutes 35 seconds have any significance?

Is it relevant that the PCN refers to 21:56 but the evidence starts at 21:58:45 and the appeal portal shows 22:02?

Could the lack of signage at the entrance be a strong appeal point if the first sign is only visible after entering the road?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks. Just so I understand correctly, are you saying the PCN may not be POFA-compliant because it only states a single time (21:56) rather than a "period of parking"?

The evidence photos they provided are timestamped 21:58:45, 21:59:01, 22:01:06 and 22:02:20, so they appear to show a total duration of about 3 minutes 35 seconds. The PCN itself says the vehicle was photographed at 21:56, but there is no photo from that time.

Does that strengthen the "no period of parking" argument, or is the stronger point that they appear not to have provided all the evidence relied upon?

Also, regarding the 5-minute consideration period, if the only sign is visible after entering the road and contains a large amount of text, would 3 minutes 35 seconds potentially fall within that consideration period?