I've parked here only three times, but had problems on two of those occasions, On the first occasion I was trapped in a lift for 40 mins and had to be freed by the local fire brigade. On the other occasion the fee machine would not take either cash or notes, and when I paid by debit card the machine retained my ticket which was required to open the exit barrier.
We used this car park because it was convenient for the nearby Lyceum Theatre. When the problems occurred after the shows, we discovered the car park was unmanned and communication only available through an intercom to a remote location.
For parking permit zone boundary, see this pdf file or this online map. Parking is available via pay and display (with max stay 2 hours in some locations) on Crookesmoor Road, Conduit Road, and at the Barber Road ends of Barber Place and Bower Road.