A parking enforcement company has won its planning bid to retain cameras and signs it installed without permission at a busy retail park several months ago.

In March it emerged that UK Parking Company (UKPC) had not applied for planning consent before erecting the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and warning signs outside The Range store on Caernarfon Road in Bangor.

The signs, warning motorists that if they exceed the maximum stay of three hours they will face a charge of £100, was brought to the attention of Gwynedd Council after the sudden appearance of the signs and the lack of a Welsh translation.

The results of a subsequent investigation by Gwynedd Council found that the company had not applied for planning permission before installing them, but confirmed it would not be investigating any further as it “would not be expedient” to do so.

But after the company lodged a retrospective application with Gwynedd Council, with the initial installation taking place last November with the cameras and signs also covering the adjacent car park for the Next and Argos stores, planning officers have decided to approve their bid.

Having attracted no opposition from Bangor City Council nor from the public during the consultation phase, the planning officers’ report noted: “This is an application for the retention of a pole mounted camera to record cars entering and exiting the car park.

“The pole and camera are not considered to have a detrimental effect on visual amenities.

“The car park use existed prior to the installation of the pole and camera and therefore it is not considered that there will be a significant change in the number of users using the car park and that there will be no significant harm to nearby amenities.”

Several motorists are known to have been issued with parking charges of £100 from the company, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.

In a statement this past March, Gwynedd Council said: “We have investigated the matter of the advertisements displayed within the curtilage of The Range premises in Bangor, and have concluded the advertisements are being displayed without the express consent of the council as Local Planning Authority.

“However, as they are located entirely on private land, the council does not consider it would be expedient to instigate further proceedings, as their small size do not have a detrimental effect on the visual amenities of the surrounding area, and they do not have a detrimental impact on the safety of highway users.

“From a planning viewpoint, these are the only two matters that may be considered when determining whether or not to instigate enforcement action in such matters.

“Any motorists who feel that they have incorrectly been issued a penalty notice in a private car-park should lodge an appeal with POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals) – the independent appeals service for Parking Charge Notices issued on private land.

“In terms of the limited nature of the CCTV cameras, the Council as the Local Planning Authority confirms that it would not be expedient to instigate further investigations or any formal action.”