Latest news with #NationalParkingEnforcement
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
'I spent £10,000 on my caravan but now it's being torn down after mistake'
David Coe, from Norfolk, spent a whopping £10k converting a caravan so he could live there in it. Sadly, he won't get to live out his dream after an enforcement company demolished it A man who transformed a 14ft caravan into a two-storey home has seen it bulldozed after making one silly mistake. David Coe, from Norwich, Norfolk, forked out £10,000 towards the dream conversion after purchasing the motor home in 2022. He spent an entire year on the renovation project which included an upstairs bedroom, skylight and log burner. The home caused divide between residents living in Bately Court, with some people branding it an "eyesore". Meanwhile, others have taken a liking to the van, with "hundreds" of people stopping to look outside. National Parking Enforcement, the company that manages the car park outside Bately Court, issued him a notice earlier this year. The owner was instructed to move the van over concerns about it being a health and safety risk. If he couldn't move it he was told that it would be knocked down. But Mr Coe did not have enough money to have the structure professionally relocated and demolition crews finally arrived at the site to knock it down on July 17. It comes after he was evicted from Bately Court after a row with the housing association over the cleanliness and management of the property and was accused by the company of "inappropriate behaviour" towards members of staff. He maintains he should not have been evicted and was forced to abandon the caravan when he left. Mr Coe said kept paying his £25 monthly fee for a parking spot and visited the vehicle regularly, to ensure it was kept secure and was not becoming a hazard. He worked on renovating it as a distraction from his legal battle with the housing association and severe health issues. Mr Coe, who said he had "always been very creative" and previously renovated a hotel, said his caravan grew and grew, quickly becoming a familiar and welcome site in its parking spot. He said it soon became something of a tourist attraction. The caravan was caught the attention of George Clarke's Amazing Spaces expressing interest in featuring it on the Channel 4 programme. Mr Coe said: "I just needed to get out of the flat and make contact with other people. "It was meant to be a place to sit and have a cup of tea and chat with passers-by. But it became something to focus on and I started working on it every single day. It became more than a hobby for me. It wasn't a conscious decision but the caravan grew and grew - it cost me a fortune but I didn't mind. "I became known locally as the caravan man. I met hundreds of people who wanted to see what I was doing and take selfies with me. It was a lovely distraction from everything else." Mr Coe built a staircase and extended the caravan to turn it into a two-storey structure, with a bedroom upstairs. He also installed a log burner as well new windows and a skylight, and created a garden and seating area outside. He kept adding to it until the caravan was more akin to a tiny house. Mr Coe, who is unemployed and on disability benefits, said he was left with £70k in costs to pay after losing his legal battle. He could not afford to finish the caravan, which needed further work to its roof and extensions to be made "more solid". His former neighbour, Heather Burton said: "I'm happy to see it go because I thought it was a really dangerous thing to have in the car park. It easily could have hurt somebody in high winds. I can't understand why this was allowed to stay in a prominent area for so long." Elaine Kelly commented: "It was a bit of an eyesore in the end but I feel sorry for the bloke who built it. It's a shame it got so big that he couldn't move it. There has been a lot of interest in the caravan and no end of people coming to look at it. People used to stop in the street and ask us about it."
The Sun
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
I spent a year transforming my caravan into a two-storey home – now it's being torn down… my neighbours always hated it
A DIY enthusiast who converted a caravan into a two-storey home has been forced to demolish it because it was too big to tow. David Coe, 67, bought the 14ft foot caravan in 2022 and spent a year renovating it himself, adding an upstairs bedroom and skylight. 5 5 The structure in Norwich, Norfolk was a prominent feature outside Bately Court and cost David a whopping £10,000 to put together. David added a new staircase and log burner to the motor home and hoped to live it in one day by the seaside. However, David was forced to reconsider his project after he realised the customised structure had become too big to tow. National Parking Enforcement, the company that manages the car park outside Bately Court, issued David with a notice earlier this year telling him the caravan would be destroyed if he did not move it due to concerns about it being a health and safety risk. But David did not have enough money to have the structure professionally relocated and demolition crews finally arrived at the site today, July 17, to knock it down. His former neighbours at Bately Court, where he lived until last year, have rejoiced at the removal of the caravan and watched on as demolition crews set about destroying David's creation. Others stopped in the street to take photos and videos of the scene. Heather Burton said: "I'm happy to see it go because I thought it was a really dangerous thing to have in the car park. "It easily could have hurt somebody in high winds. I can't understand why this was allowed to stay in a prominent area for so long." Other people living in the building said they thought the caravan posed issues with emergency access to their property and created an obstruction when the car park was full. I bought a dated caravan & turned it into my family's very own second home for £4.5k - now we holiday for just £10 a day Elaine Kelly said: "It was a bit of an eyesore in the end but I feel sorry for the bloke who built it. It's a shame it got so big that he couldn't move it. "There has been a lot of interest in the caravan and no end of people coming to look at it. People used to stop in the street and ask us about it." David was evicted from Bately Court after a row with the housing association over the cleanliness and management of the property. He was accused by the company of " inappropriate behaviour" towards members of staff. 5 5 5 David maintains he should not have been evicted, he was forced to abandon the caravan when he left. He said he kept paying his £25 monthly fee for a parking spot and visited the vehicle regularly, to ensure it was kept secure and was not becoming a hazard. He bought the caravan in 2022 and worked on renovating it as a distraction from his legal battle with the housing association and severe health issues. David said he had "always been very creative" and previously renovated a hotel, said his caravan grew and grew, quickly becoming a welcome site in its parking spot. He added that it soon became something of a tourist attraction, with "hundreds" of people stopping to ask about the bizarre creation. The caravan even caught the attention of George Clarke's Amazing Spaces which expressed interest in featuring it on an episode of the Channel 4 programme. David said: "I just needed to get out of the flat and make contact with other people. "It was meant to be a place to sit and have a cup of tea and chat with passers-by. "But it became something to focus on and I started working on it every single day. It became more than a hobby for me. "It wasn't a conscious decision but the caravan grew and grew - it cost me a fortune but I didn't mind. "I became known locally as the caravan man. "I met hundreds of people who wanted to see what I was doing and take selfies with me. It was a lovely distraction from everything else." David built a staircase and extended the caravan to turn it into a two-storey structure, with a bedroom upstairs. He also installed a log burner, new windows and a skylight, and created a garden and seating area outside. He kept adding to it until the caravan was more akin to a small house. David, who is unemployed and on disability benefits, said he was left with £70k in costs to pay after losing his legal battle. He could not afford to finish the caravan, which needed further work to its roof and extensions to be made "more solid". A spokesman for National Parking Enforcement said the landowner had requested the caravan be moved as it was considered a health and safety issue.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
I've just been sent £170 fine for not paying a parking ticket … six years ago
I have received two letters from National Parking Enforcement Ltd (NPE) demanding £170 for failing 'to correctly use a pay & display machine' in a car park six years ago. It doesn't specify what I did incorrectly – I'm guessing I made a typo when entering my car reg because the buttons on the machines are so faded and Os and zeros look identical. I'm told I face court and a damaged credit rating if I don't stump up. ML, Fakenham It looks as though NPE is hurrying to collect the money before the clock runs down. Private parking operators have to issue a ticket within 14 days of the alleged contravention if sending by post. If it's taped to your windscreen and you fail to pay, the operator has an additional 56 days to send a notice to your home address. You say you never received any notice and were unaware of the alleged debt until the legal threats arrived. Private parking charges are not legally enforceable without a county court judgment, and the statute of limitations bars court action once six years have passed. Related: 'Pay here': the QR code 'quishing' scam targeting drivers The demands you received were sent days before the six years were up, and the deadline has since expired. Moreover, NPE has failed to provide evidence that you breached the terms and conditions. When you demanded details and proof of what you had done wrong it repeated, robotically, that you had used the machine incorrectly. It declared to me that it could not discuss cases with a third party, and refused to answer if, and when, it issued a parking charge notice and why it did not follow up earlier. I believe a court would take a dim view of this, even if it agreed to hear the case, so you could probably ignore it. But if you are worried, I suggest you write to NPE stating that you will not pay unless it provides all those details by a specific date. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
The Guardian
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
I've just been sent £170 fine for not paying a parking ticket … six years ago
I have received two letters from National Parking Enforcement Ltd (NPE) demanding £170 for failing 'to correctly use a pay & display machine' in a car park six years ago. It doesn't specify what I did incorrectly – I'm guessing I made a typo when entering my car reg because the buttons on the machines are so faded and Os and zeros look identical. I'm told I face court and a damaged credit rating if I don't stump up. ML, Fakenham It looks as though NPE is hurrying to collect the money before the clock runs down. Private parking operators have to issue a ticket within 14 days of the alleged contravention if sending by post. If it's taped to your windscreen and you fail to pay, the operator has an additional 56 days to send a notice to your home address. You say you never received any notice and were unaware of the alleged debt until the legal threats arrived. Private parking charges are not legally enforceable without a county court judgment, and the statute of limitations bars court action once six years have passed. The demands you received were sent days before the six years were up, and the deadline has since expired. Moreover, NPE has failed to provide evidence that you breached the terms and conditions. When you demanded details and proof of what you had done wrong it repeated, robotically, that you had used the machine incorrectly. It declared to me that it could not discuss cases with a third party, and refused to answer if, and when, it issued a parking charge notice and why it did not follow up earlier. I believe a court would take a dim view of this, even if it agreed to hear the case, so you could probably ignore it. But if you are worried, I suggest you write to NPE stating that you will not pay unless it provides all those details by a specific date. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
