A Tyldesley resident has expressed his outrage at four 60-foot warehouses built at the end of his back garden, declaring the noise a “living hell”.
Speaking to GB News, Steve Retford hit out at the “27/7 noise” emanating from the warehouses, currently operating as a distribution centre for Whistl.
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Residents near Astley Business Park in Tyldesley have complained about noise from HGVs throughout the night.
Construction completed on the site in January and Mr Retford’s picturesque views of fields over the garden fence he’s had for 40 years have been destroyed in favour of the warehouses.
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Speaking to GB News in his back garden, Mr Retford details the levels of noise that residents are suffering all day and all night.
He said: “It’s terrible, it really is dreadful. It’s the noise that emanates from it 24/7, them working is just horrendous.
“You get the banging, the clattering, anybody that’s been near any heavy goods vehicles clearly can see and know how noisy they really are.
“You’ve got the logistics operation that goes on behind us here, which is like a rolling thunder, you hear like a booming sound for emptying the trailers and what have you, you just can’t sleep.
“You’re woken up throughout the night, and anybody that’s being woken up during the night, you cannot get back off to sleep. It’s dreadful, it’s a living hell.”
Mr Retford revealed that having listened to complaints from the residents, Whistl has agreed to cease operations between the hours of midnight and 6am.
He told GB News: “In fairness to Whistl, they’re trying their best, but running a logistics operation I do not think that goes hand in glove with being quiet. You can’t do it, but they are doing their best.
“They’ve suggested mitigations where they’re going to modify the working between midnight and 6am, that’s very good. But it’s not perfect.
“People don’t just go to bed at midnight, people go to bed before midnight, so if you’re putting children to bed 8pm and all that cluttering is going on, it’s going to be so difficult for people with young families. It’s bad enough for grown ups.”
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Reflecting on the personal impact of the business park on his own home, Mr Retford said that the value of his home has been “decimated”.
He said: “It’s had a huge impact. There’s a two bedroom house just near to me here along the street that backs onto this, and £40,000 was lost from that in value. Mine must have lost £70,000 easily.
“We’ve got one member of our group, he has lost over £100,000 on his house round the other side of the structure. It’s absolutely decimated the value of properties, and Wigan planning must have known that.”
Mr Retford concluded: “Apparently the cost of houses is not a factor that’s built into the equation, but it’s dreadful, people’s homes have been absolutely devalued.
“Who wants to buy a house living in the shadow of that thing? It’s impossible, and we’re told by an estate agent that the houses are unsellable, which is terrible.”
In a statement, Aidan Thatcher, director for place at Wigan Council, said: “This planning application went through our planning consultation and committee process.
“The final plans include landscaping which will help to screen and soften the appearance, and mitigate the impact on nearby properties.
“We will continue to monitor the site throughout construction, ensuring this development bringing new jobs and investment to the area is delivered properly.”
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