Car Park Cameras Installed Without Consent for Six Years
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and warning signs at a busy Midlands car park have been operating for six years without the required planning permission, it has been revealed.
The equipment was installed at the Trench Lock car park in Hadley, Telford, on October 9, 2019. It serves the popular site near KFC and Starbucks, monitoring entry and exit times to manage customer parking and potentially issue fines.
Retrospective Application Submitted
The car park operators, London-based Creative Car Park, have now submitted a retrospective planning application to Telford & Wrekin Council. This seeks approval for the 14 signs mounted on lampposts and two ANPR cameras already in place.
In documents submitted to the council, JMW Solicitors, representing the operator, stated the development was installed to "effectively manage usage of the car park" and ensure it is only used by patrons of the businesses. They emphasised the need to prevent overstaying to allow for greater footfall for the KFC site.
No Automatic Right to a Refund, Warns 'Mr Loophole'
Despite the lack of planning permission, this discovery may not be the windfall drivers who received fines were hoping for. Leading solicitor Nick Freeman, famously known as 'Mr Loophole' for his success in challenging motoring prosecutions, has warned that this is a "complex area of law."
Mr Freeman, of Manchester-based Freeman & Co Solicitors, made it clear that there is "certainly no automatic right to a refund" for parking charges issued at the site. The absence of planning consent does not necessarily invalidate the fines themselves.
A decision on the retrospective application for the cameras and signs will be made by planners at Telford and Wrekin Council at a later date.
