Private Car Park - No planning permission, no legal basis? (Zoe Bread!)

dizzydaydream94

Good morning! 

Couldn't see that anyone else has mentioned this and really wanted some advice from you experts on it. Zoe Bread is an online content creator who has recently taken on Manchester City Council regarding miss-leading signage and won which resulted in a large amount of people having fines refunded. They have also challenged other private car parks in the past though I haven't kept up with the in's and out's of this. 

Her most recent post - she has uncovered that SIP parking within Manchester, who have multiple car parks, don't have or never sought planning permission to open the car park, along with some 'interesting' information regarding the rateable value of the buildings used with one multi-story car park having a rateable value of £193,000 before being dropped to £12,500 the year later? 

My question is - if a private car park had no planning permission and therefor no legal basis to operate, would this mean that any parking tickets issued are invalid? When you consider SIP who have multiple car parks within Manchester City Centre and are frequently mentioned on here, it looks like only one of those they actually pay business rates and have planning permission. 

Makes you wonder what other cities this is going on in! 

Coupon-mad

No m, we've tested this before loads of times and it doesn't usually interest councils.

Sheffield Council is the notable exception!

https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/sheffield-parking-bank-park-ordered-to-close-ecclesall-road-site-or-face-unlimited-fine-5253980

It certainly doesn't make a PCN void because (arguably) the contract on signs is a standalone contract, regardless of planning permission.