Permit Holder Parking - Who enforces it?

[Maty]

My offices are on a residential street with a few businesses in amongst the houses. Across the road from us is an Indian Restaurant with a fairly large car park, obivously during the day this car park is not really used by the restaurant as they only open in the evenings. As such it is used by most of the businesses around here (including ourselves, a primary school next door and a church), it is also used as a place to park by shoppers walking down into the local town.

Over the past 2 days we have all had notices put on our windscreens saying;

Polite Notice, from 14th May between 8am and 5pm this car park will be reserved for permit holders only, please can you seek alternative parking arrangements.

The note is signed off by a local company that is based down in the local town, we know this company and we know they have absolutely no parking at their offices. Question is, how does this thing usually work? Have they done a deal with the restaurant and contracted a private company to enforce it or do they have to get the council involved?

We can't see how they can enforce it, there are no signs on the car park, no gates etc? If it's a private company enforcing it then as I understand it they can't issue parking fines (well they can but they aren't worth the paper their written on) and have the rules on clamping been restricted??

[Motorrad]

You're complaining that someone else wants to freeload as well?

Or that they are impinging on your 'right' to freeload?

[Maty]

No 'right' to freeload at all, I'm well aware we've had it quite good for some years.

My post was asking about the workings of these permits and who enforces it....did you read it?

[Gruber]

Maty said:

Have they done a deal with the restaurant and contracted a private company to enforce it

Yep - probably something like that.

Sounds like they're being very nice and reasonable about it too.

If you continue to park there, especially now they've asked you not to, you'll be trespassing. The DVLA will sell them your details and, if you continue to trespass, they'll probably take proceedings against you.

In addition, they may well look to enforce on a day to day basis. Clamping, "fines" and so on.

[sherman]

If no gates or signs appear over the weekend. I would park else where on monday and wait and see what happens when one of the other employees/businesses has forgotten and watches their car being towed,clamped etc. Take note of if its council or a private firm enforcing the permits and make your mind up then.

[SSBB]

If you park on someone's private land, are they entitled to have your car put on a flatbed and sent to impound?

[Maty]

Thanks for the replies.

They definitely can't put gates up as one of the entrances is rather large and it just isn't feasible. We'll have to keep an eye on the signs going up.

There again though if no signs go up then surely they can't start issuing fines/clamping/removing cars as what's to say that particular car ever got sight of one of the polite notices?

[daz3210]

You could always pop into the restaurant and ask them if you need a permit and how to get one.

Locally there is a car park with a similar arrangement. Local business has excess spaces, so rents them to people who want them. I believe they clamp freeloaders and have signs to say this.

[KevinA3DSG32]

daz3210 said:

You could always pop into the restaurant and ask them if you need a permit and how to get one.

Locally there is a car park with a similar arrangement. Local business has excess spaces, so rents them to people who want them. I believe they clamp freeloaders and have signs to say this.

This. Has to be the simplest solution. It will also bring to light of the other company is doing this without the restaurant owners knowledge.

[oldsoak]

KevinA3DSG32 said:

This. Has to be the simplest solution. It will also bring to light of the other company is doing this without the restaurant owners knowledge.

always assuming that the restaurant don't know what's going on....

I would hazard a guess that the company who is sticking the notices and are shy of their own car parking area have done a deal with the restaurant to use the space for their own employees benefit during 'office hours' effectively sub-letting the area from the restaurant.
Again assuming the land is the restaurants' to sub let, the only way you can get a permit will be to gain employment with the company who did the deal (or strike up a deal of your own with the restaurant).
Might be cheaper and less time consuming to find somewhere else to park in future.

[DiseasalDriver]

What if you didn't park there when they were putting notes on windscreens and parked there today?

How were you to know if they havent put signs up etc?