Need Help with unfair Formal Representation (Tower Hamlets)

brightandearly

Hi all,
I’d be really grateful for advice on how to handle a PCN that has now reached the Notice to Owner stage. I need to send a second appeal asap.

What happened

On 31 August / 1 September, I parked on Tobago Street (Tower Hamlets) at about 21:45. I am a Blue Badge holder due  to a illness, which can cause sudden/urgent symptoms. I wasn’t feeling well that night, so I needed to park close to where I was going.

I displayed my Blue Badge on the dashboard and placed my arrival time (21:45) clearly next to it. I didn’t have my clock available, so I wrote the time on a note, but it was clearly visible.

A CEO issued a PCN at 00:03. Their photos are timestamped 23:52 and 00:03.

Under Blue Badge rules, I can park on double yellow lines for up to 3 hours, so from 21:45 → 00:45. At 00:03, I was still fully within the permitted time.

Position of the vehicle

My car was partly on double yellow lines and partly within a business permit bay.

The sign for the business bay was Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm.
The contravention happened just after midnight on Saturday and I was parked there from about 10pm saturday, so the bay restriction was not in force.

I also have a screenshot from Tower Hamlets’ own website showing that business bays operate Mon–Fri only.

PCN issued

The PCN code is 01 – “Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours.”

But:

• The business bay was not in prescribed hours at the time, and

• The double yellows were permitted because of my Blue Badge and displayed arrival time.

So in both possible positions, no operative restriction applied at the time of issue.

Informal challenge

I submitted an informal challenge explaining all of the above, including my medical condition, but Tower Hamlets rejected it with a standard template response saying the vehicle was “parked in contravention”. They did not address any of the points I raised.

Current stage – Notice to Owner received

I have now received the NTO, so I need to submit a formal representation.
This is the stage where I want to make sure my arguments are clear, structured and strong enough to succeed either with the council or later at London Tribunals if necessary.

Evidence I have

• Photo of Blue Badge (front & back)

• Arrival time note (21:45)

• Screenshot from Tower Hamlets’ own website confirming business bay hours Mon–Fri only

• Explanation of Crohn’s disease and why I need to park close by

What I need help with

• How best to frame the argument that the alleged contravention (Code 01) did not occur

• Whether to emphasise the bay being out of hours

• How to address the “half in half out” issue

• How to present the medical context appropriately

• Any recommended wording or tribunal-friendly phrasing

Thank you in advance for any help.

Keep_pedalling

As this is a civil penalty rather than a private one you really should post over on the FTLA forum. Look at the read me first thread before you post. 

https://www.ftla.uk/civil-penalty-charge-notices-(councils-tfl-and-so-on)/