Astley Residents Fight Industrial Warehouses

Residents of Astley, a tranquil village near Wigan and Manchester, are outraged over four colossal warehouses approved by Wigan Council. These towering structures, standing sixty feet tall and covering three hundred fifty thousand square feet, were built adjacent to homes on former farmland. The development, which began soon after approval, has transformed serene views into an industrial landscape mere yards from residents back gardens.

The controversy began with initial plans for homes and smaller warehouses, but these approvals expired. Developers then proposed a twenty-four-seven operation, claiming they notified nearby residents. However, many locals, like grandmother Ann Littlewood, claim they never received notification and had no opportunity to object before the council approved the project with only ninety-six complaints.

The warehouses have brought constant dust, vibrations from construction, flooding, noise levels exceeding seventy-seven decibels, and blinding floodlights, making homes unsellable and leaving families trapped with unpayable mortgages. An audit criticized the process for not giving residents a genuine say, but the council maintains it met legal standards and is now threatening action against campaigners for allegedly misleading videos. A petition with ten thousand signatures was rejected, and the first tenant plans round-the-clock truck operations with sixty-five rigs.

As the warehouses fill up, bringing more lorries and noise, affected homeowners watch their property values plummet while the council stands to gain nearly three hundred thousand dollars a year in business rates and its pension fund benefits from a thirty-three million dollar loan to the project.

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