Car Parking

[hihosilver]

I have been parking in a Council owned car park since 1979. It is situated opposite to my house and I am not a tenant. There is no on the road parking so several of usin my road park in the car park. After several years the Council put up a bollard/barrier & issued keys and a permit but there was no charge. There were other subsequent permits but we have not had any contact or update for approximately 10 years or more but I still have the latest permit although the Council have not replaced the barrier which was broken years ago. When approached years ago about this car park the Council did not seem interested in its upkeep but they now seem to acknowledge that they own it but state that they will be charging. I seem to remeber when this was mentioned years ago that it did not happen because of the length of time that we had been parking there with no charge. . Can they now charge after all this time?

[Buenchico]

I can think of no reason why the council can't start charging for the use of the car park. There are laws which give people certain rights to take possession of land (through 'adverse possession') or to have access over it (through the designation of a public footpath) if they've been using it without challenge for many years but such laws simply aren't relevant here.

It would seem to be no different to what many councils do with street parking in residential areas, which is to designate the spaces as being for the use of resident permit holders only but then to charge each of those residents hundreds of pounds per year to have a permit. That's completely legal and I can't see why charging for the use of a council-owned car park should be any different.