'Giant warehouses have wiped £170,000 off value of my dream home'
‘The house would have been my pension’ In Wigan, Lancashire, homeowners have found their homes devalued following the construction of four giant warehouses which tower over their houses. Similar plans in Chorley and Blackburn were kicked out earlier this year.
A worried home-owner says £170,000 has been wiped off the value of his dream home - after four giant warehouses were built right behind it
David Gerrard, 47, also fears that he may actually never been able to sell the five-bedroom property he shares with his family because of the 'monster buildings' next door.
Builder David lives next to the controversial Astley Business Park development in Wigan, Lancs, which hit the headlines last year when the 60ft high warehouses were erected.
He says that before the building work, his detached home was worth around £500,000 but he was recently told by an estate agent it is now worth just £380,000.
David said he had initially paid £360,000 when he bought the property in 2019, soon after the estate was built.
He spoke out after Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig visited the site and said that the development "didn't sit right" with her.
Similar plans for two giant warehouses on the border of Chorley and Blackburn were kicked out by councillors earlier this year - with one branding it the "worst application" he had seen in 30 years of making planning decisions. Another called it ‘Wigan on steroids’.
David said: "When we got our valuation, we were totally gobsmacked. The estate agent said that if the warehouses weren't there, the house would have been valued at £550,000.
"But if we put the property on the market now, he would put it on for £380,000 - maybe £395,000 at a push. He said, being honest, that we probably wouldn't be able to sell it because of the warehouses."
The estimate comes after four enormous industrial units were completed just metres from homes in Tyldesley, Gtr Manchester.
The 350,000 sq ft development, commissioned by PLP, includes warehouses reaching heights of up to 18.3m - with neighbours comparing the grey structures to giant "cruise liners".
David and wife Joanne bought their home on Thistlecroft when the estate was newly built in 2019 and have since poured time and money into improving it. The property was also supposed to provide financial security for his retirement.
David said: "The house would have been my pension. I got the money to buy it through grafting for seven days a week since I was 16. I haven't had many weekends off in my life. I haven't got a pension, I put everything into the home."
David had already heard neighbours discussing falls of £60,000 or £80,000 - but he wasn't prepared for the figure he was given. He said homes in the area once sold rapidly, helped by its proximity to a sought-after school, but some owners have since struggled to find buyers.
David said: "A couple of houses on the estate have gone up for sale in the last year, but the owners have just taken them down again - because they're not selling. Previously, they'd go like hot cakes because we have a sought-after school here."
Although the nearby land had long been earmarked for employment use, David says he never imagined anything on the scale of the four warehouses would eventually appear.
His frustration has intensified since logistics firm Whistl became the first company to operate from one of the giant units.
Residents have complained of HGVs arriving throughout the day and night and reported banging, engine noise and a persistent background hum disturbing their sleep.
David said: "It's just awful. I hate living here. I really don't want to be here anymore.
"We've gone from having our dream house to not wanting to be here at all.
"Inside, the house is lovely. Sometimes you even forget about the warehouses. But then you hear the noise from the HGVs."
Whistl began round-the-clock operations at the site in July but has since acknowledged that noise "has had an impact on nearby residents".
The company agreed to stop transport movements in its yard between midnight and 6am from September 7 while longer-term noise-reduction measures are explored.
The warehouses have been at the centre of a row since construction began, with residents previously reporting gardens flooding for the first time.
They have also complained of bright blue security lights flashing into bedroom windows and automated warnings booming from the site.
An independent audit commissioned by Wigan Council found planning permission had been granted in accordance with legislation and procedures.
However, it also concluded residents had been given "no meaningful opportunity" to engage before the application was submitted.
Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig visited the estate on August 28 and met residents while walking around the perimeter of the development.
She said the sight of something so large being built so close to homes "didn't sit right" with her and heard first-hand about noise, flooding and other concerns.