PARKING fines issued at Barnet Hospital could be illegal – because signs warning people about the restrictions were put up without planning permission.

Parking Eye, which is responsible for running the car park in Wellhouse Lane, has been labelled “hypocritical” for not following the rules.

The company is owned by Capita while Regional Enterprise (Re), which enforces planning rules in Barnet, is 51 per cent owned by the same firm.

There are now concerns that not only does this create a serious conflict of interest, but all fines issued since the 20 signs were put up in 2014 may be unlawful.

Parking guru Derek Dishman told the Times Series: “Surely a contract based on illegality would not be upheld in court. It would be unreasonable for them to expect people to pay the fines given that.

“They tell people off for being in breach of contract by not paying to park, but then they are also breaking the law.

“There was a similar incident in St Albans but the judge wouldn’t listen to the argument over whether the parking fines were still enforceable, because there wasn’t a specific complaint.”

Last month, the Times Series exposed how Re not only has the final say on building plans submitted to Barnet Council, but is also responsible for drawing them up.

While the authority denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour, Mr Dishman, of Carnarvon Road, Barnet, fears this creates a “bias”.

He added: “They can’t possibly deal with any complaints about a Capita property, in this instance, the hospital car park.

“It’s a self-evident conflict of interest. It doesn’t matter how honourable the people who work there are. There will be institutional bias, this is inevitable.

“It wouldn’t be seen to be fair. Nobody can properly serve two masters.”

Barnet Hospital claims Barnet Council said it did not need planning permission for the signs.

But other Parking Eye sites, such in Morrisons in Cumbria, have had to apply permission for similar signs.

Anything over 0.3 square meters needs planning permission - but the signs at the hospital are 0.42 square meters - a third bigger.

Despite this, the council insists it does not need planning permission.

Cath Shaw, commissioning director for growth and development, said: “The council has clear roles and responsibilities with any enforcement action undertaken by Barnet employees on behalf of the council using the same rigorous process regardless of who the complaint is about.

“Following a complaint received in November last year, an officer working for the council’s planning enforcement team carried out a site inspection and advised that planning permission was not necessary.”

A spokesperson who Barnet Hospital refused to name: "In order to ensure that patients and visitors are fully aware of the terms of use for the Barnet Hospital car park, Parking Eye has erected signs throughout the site.

"After consulting with Barnet Council we were informed that planning consent for these signs was not required."

A ParkingEye spokesperson, who was not named, said: “ParkingEye is a member of the British Parking Association (BPA) and follows its code of practice.

"We take the lead from our clients in respect of planning and whether it is required. We were not instructed to apply for planning permission for the signage by our client at Barnet Hospital.”