Help Needed – Letter Before Claim from Gladstones for Council-Owned Car Park PCN

Hencho98

Hi all,

I’m looking for some advice as I’ve just received a Letter Before Claim from Gladstones Solicitors chasing me for an unpaid PCN from January 2025 (nearly 11 months ago). This has appeared completely out of nowhere.

I moved house earlier this year, so I may have missed previous letters. Gladstones say they carried out an address trace, which is how this one reached me.

About the car park

It’s a council-owned car park for a shopping centre.

I only use it when I go to the gym inside the centre.

The gym offers 2 hours free parking - you take a ticket on entry, the gym hole-punches it, and you insert that ticket at the exit barrier machine to leave.

Importantly, I know for certain there was no ANPR operating at the time. The council website recently posted an update announcing that ANPR was being installed, and this was only a few months ago.

This makes things even stranger, because the LBC from Gladstones lists my vehicle registration number, which raises questions about how they even obtained it if no ANPR was in use at that time.

What I don't understand about this whole thing is:

• The LBC lists 17/01/2025 as the “Date of Charge”, but I have no idea what date the actual parking event supposedly occurred.

• No photos, no evidence, and no explanation of the alleged offence have been provided. I have just been given the PCN No., Date of Charge, Car Park Name.

• Before ANPR was installed, the system physically prevented anyone from leaving without paying.

You insert your ticket at the exit barrier.

If you overstayed, the machine tells you to go and pay the extra time before it will open.

• The barrier should always be down, forcing you to use the ticket machine.

The only time you can leave without inserting your ticket is when the barrier has been left up, which I have personally seen happen a number of times.

And realistically, if the barrier is already raised, drivers naturally proceed through - it’s unreasonable to expect people to stop and insert a ticket when the barrier is open.

Given this, I genuinely don’t understand how a PCN could have been issued at all in a barrier-controlled car park with no ANPR in operation at the time.

This is my first ever Letter Before Claim, and I’m unsure how to respond or what my next steps should be. I’ve attached photos of the LBC for reference.

Any guidance on how to approach this, what to write back, or how to challenge it would be massively appreciated.

Many thanks!

Hencho98

Please see photos below:

Coupon-mad

PPC name?

Show us this:

"Importantly, I know for certain there was no ANPR operating at the time. The council website recently posted an update announcing that ANPR was being installed, and this was only a few months ago."

Hencho98

Coupon-mad said:

PPC name?

Show us this:

"Importantly, I know for certain there was no ANPR operating at the time. The council website recently posted an update announcing that ANPR was being installed, and this was only a few months ago."

I presume PPC is Private Parking Company in which case this would be District Enforcement Limited.

Also, if I post the council blog about the ANPR, won't that give away the location and car park and allow the parking company to identify who I am or which PCN this is referring to?

Coupon-mad

Which is fine. No worries. Nobody cares if PPCs find their case in MSE. So what really?! DE are a nasty ex-clamper joke of a firm IMHO. And they aren't very litigious.

We need to know which Council thinks it's legal to use ANPR in public car parks. It's illegal. Show us this article & location.

Hencho98

Coupon-mad said:

Which is fine. No worries. Nobody cares if PPCs find their case in MSE. So what really?! DE are a nasty ex-clamper joke of a firm IMHO. And they aren't very litigious.

We need to know which Council thinks it's legal to use ANPR in public car parks. It's illegal. Show us this article & location.

Ahhh I see! Okay fair enough! I have actually emailed the council today and they have assured me that this is not a PCN from them as their reference numbers start with certain letters. So I guess I got the location wrong as the PCN states 'Relevant Land' as Ropewalk Shopping Centre' and I automatically presumed that meant Ropewalk Shopping Centre Car Park which is owned by the local council and was always barrier+ticket operated, but has now recently had ANPR installed.

The council did also say that 'that Ropewalk Shopping Centre themselves have CCTV cameras for vehicles parking outside Pure Gym' which may be what this PCN relates to. But during the evening, everyone parks here even now (including myself for years) and nothing has ever happened. I also 

I guess the problem here is I actually have no idea what this PCN is referring to as the 'Date of Charge' on the letter is 17/01/2025 and the letters (as shown above) from Gladstone do not have any photo evidence or information etc. (I don't know if Date of Charge means the date the contravention occured or just when the initial letter would have been sent to me).

My 30 day limit to reply to this 'Letter Before Claim' is up in 2 days time so I'm just stumped on where to actually go from here.

Thanks and really appreciate all the help.

Hencho98

This is the article if still interested (even though I don't believe the PCN relates to this any longer): 

hxxps://www.nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk/news/article/235/ropewalk-car-park-to-benefit-from-upgraded-parking-system

Hencho98

If you want to see the location I think this is referring to, search 'Puregym Nuneaton' in Google Maps and you can see on street view. I have attached screenshots below anyway. In the 'Circle' area in front of Puregym or down the side on the right is where I think the alleged contravention is referring to. I have gone today to take close up photos of the sign circled green in my photo:

Coupon-mad

You aren't stumped. 

Send the usual reply for LBCs. If's where you'd expect: in the NEWBIES thread post 2. No need to overthink it.

Hencho98

Coupon-mad said:

You aren't stumped. Send the usual reply for LBCs. If's where you'd expect: in the NEWBIES thread post 2. 

I will be doing this tonight, thank you  

Also, is it still worth me contacting the owner of Ropewalk Shopping Centre to try get this cancelled as I have no idea what the alleged contravention was? Or should I contact District Enforcement and find out?

How can I defend something that goes to court if I don't know what the actual evidence or contravention was?

Coupon-mad

That's EXACTLY what you want.

Read a few Gladstones claim theads!