Help, got until 24th November to submit Defence for VCS

Leviathan747

Fruitcake wrote: »

At the exhibits stage. The bargepole guide to court tells you when that should happen.
If you didn't mention landowner authority in your defence then you will have to mention it in your WS.
Do you know who the landowner is, and have you complained to them?

Have you checked with the council planning department to see what the original planning approval said, and if it has been amended since? It is not unknown for a council to stipulate, say, a free two hour period and allow people to leave site to support other businesses, but a PPC to then reduce the time and impose other restrictions in breach of planning approval.

Check also to see if planning approval for scameras exist, and advertising consent for signs has been granted. Not having the latter is a criminal offence.

Everything helps at the court stage, and complaints can be made to the council as well as trading standards if the original approvals are not being adhered to.

Have you complained to your MP yet about this unregulated scam?

Thanks for this Fruitcake. The landowner is VCS. A friend has checked and says "Can't see anything relevant on the Council's planning site for Berkeley Precinct back to 2004". My MP was Jared O'Mara, so there had been no point in contacting him!

Coupon-mad

The landowner is VCS.

I doubt it. VCS don't own land.

The sister firm, Excel, sometimes has a lease but not VCS, that I can recall seeing.

Leviathan747

Update: Simon Renshaw-Smith got his DQ in on 25th Jan (boo!), which has been accepted. Case been transferred to local court. I'd better get writing that Witness Statement then!

Leviathan747

Fruitcake wrote: »

At the exhibits stage. The bargepole guide to court tells you when that should happen.
If you didn't mention landowner authority in your defence then you will have to mention it in your WS.
Do you know who the landowner is, and have you complained to them?

Have you checked with the council planning department to see what the original planning approval said, and if it has been amended since? It is not unknown for a council to stipulate, say, a free two hour period and allow people to leave site to support other businesses, but a PPC to then reduce the time and impose other restrictions in breach of planning approval.

Check also to see if planning approval for scameras exist, and advertising consent for signs has been granted. Not having the latter is a criminal offence.

Everything helps at the court stage, and complaints can be made to the council as well as trading standards if the original approvals are not being adhered to.

Have you complained to your MP yet about this unregulated scam?

Update:

1. Have emailed VCS to get a copy of the contract between them and Berkley Precinct landowners.
2. Planning approval granted in Sep 2019 for advertisements. Our parking ticket was in June 2019. Ref:19/02518/adv
3. No planning approval for cameras, but when I spoke to the Planning Dept earlier, the lady said that it wasn't required.
4. Have emailed Olivia Blake MP, but looks like it will take some time before her team will be of any use, as they have yet to find an office.

Leviathan747

Spoke to Planning Department Enforcement guy and he said that they looked at the advertisement situation in July 2019. That VCS did not need permission because of the size of the signs and 'Deemed Consent', because they were 'Warning' signs. He said that the large signs at the entrance did not have permission, but because it was a commercial car park, they decided against asking VCS to remove them.

Leviathan747

Spoke to VCS litigation department and they say they're not obliged to give us a copy of the contract before the court case.

Redx

They should provide evidence at the WS plus Exhibits stage as defined on the court order, usually a couple of weeks before the hearing

Coupon-mad

Leviathan747 wrote: »

Spoke to VCS litigation department and they say they're not obliged to give us a copy of the contract before the court case.

Of course they are not. This is normal. Why are you ringing VCS? Stop.

Just read other VCS claim threads and read what their WS will look like, as the last thing we want is for you to be surprised by it, given it is all over this forum a dozen times at least (yes, they use a template).

By reading other VCS threads you would know that the contract comes with their template WS, and more importantly, you'd see how to counter their WS in yours.

It's all been done umpteen times already.

Leviathan747

Coupon-mad wrote: »

Why are you ringing VCS? Stop.

OK Coupon-mad

KeithP

This link was posted a few minutes ago on another thread:

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/traffic-and-travel/judge-throws-out-fines-issued-notorious-sheffield-car-park-1378720