After many, many years of using a garage located in a block of flats across the road from my own block
including a prolonged period when the garages were in a disgusting and unsafe (from all the druggies needles) state, a company finally came along and proposed to upgrade them and use it mainly for long-term storage but to retain 12 garages.
Because I was already using the garages, I was automatically allocated one of the newly refurbished ones and moved in during June of 2004.
In September 2006, the council finally realised that they had never actually setup any rental agreements with the tenant's so they contacted us all.
In their usual manner, the letters bore the usual unfriendly threats e.g. "if you do not sign up the locks will be changed, your vehicle dumped outside and generally we will make life awkward for you"
So, I agreed to sign-up for one of the precious garages, even though I had already been using it for about 20 years.
However, when I arrived to sign the documents (they wouldn't send them through the post) they advised me that 'Garages are only meant for cars and not motorbikes'.
Guess what I thought....
Refusing to sign and trying to reason with the girl was a complete waste of time.... Until I said 'well, I'm not happy and will have to make an official complaint.' mentioning things like Camden's commitment to reducing carbon emissions (bikes make less fumes than cars), the amount of vandalism in the area (which Camden admits is increasing) and that a bike was much more suceptable to attack than a car.
Her attitude changed suddenly.
She said she would take the matter up with her boss and let me know the outcome.
Suffice to say this went on for some time - approximately 4 months - before I received a reply from her boss saying the issue had been brought up at numerous council meetings and they had finally agreed that there was no reason why a bike cannot be stored in their garages, providing the proper rent is paid.
Yes!
Victory against the council!
Finally.
... although how long will this last before the next overpaid, unelected bureaucrat joins the department & wants to impose their will on the rest of us.