Families living in the shadow of colossal new warehouses have condemned a local authority's review of its planning process as a meaningless 'tick-box exercise'. The four vast structures, reaching up to 60 feet in height, form part of the Peel Group's Astley Business Park in Tyldesley, Wigan, and were approved by Wigan Council in June 2024.
A Community Overwhelmed by 'Monstrous' Structures
The 350,000 sq ft development now looms over hundreds of homes in the market town, with residents reporting a cascade of problems that have shattered their peace and devalued their properties. Many feel trapped, unable to sell their homes or facing losses of thousands of pounds. The construction has brought months of severe disruption, including flooding that has submerged gardens and pathways used by children going to school, forcing parents to carry them through muddy water.
Teachers at a school situated just yards from the site have complained that noise from the ongoing works drowns out their lessons. The visual impact is equally stark, with the bleak, grey facades dominating the skyline. Resident Dawn Hornby, whose home now overlooks the massive warehouse, told the BBC: 'It felt like it went up overnight... If you can imagine a football stadium in your back garden.' She claimed she was initially told the buildings would be low-lying and not visible from her property.
'A Massive Job for One Man': The Audit Under Fire
Attention has now shifted to a promised 'independent audit' of Wigan Council's planning decisions for the site, intended to assess whether correct procedures were followed. However, the process has been met with fury and scepticism from the community. Residents have discovered that only a single auditor has been appointed and has been given just two weeks to review the case, which involves scrutinising 195 documents.
John Peters, 71, who lives next to one of the warehouses and is part of a Residents Steering Group, said: 'We think it's a tick-box exercise. The auditor himself actually admitted to us that his brief and the timescales are very limited. It's a massive, massive job for one man.' He added that locals were promised input into selecting the auditor but were excluded, leading them to question the independence of the entire process.
The campaign group Astley Warehouse Action has highlighted that the two-week review was scheduled in the lead-up to Christmas. They have long warned that any council-controlled audit could not be truly independent.
Lives Transformed and a Fight for Accountability
The fallout from the development has been profound. After repeated flooding linked to the construction, with water levels reaching 1.5 feet in some gardens, the council agreed to dig drainage channels. Meanwhile, a campaign group has mobilised, with over 200 people attending a recent meeting to oppose the development.
For John Peters, the impact is deeply personal. 'This is my retirement home and it's a big, big disappointment to then see this happen,' he said, describing the warehouse as a 'monster' that appeared suddenly. The collective sentiment among residents is one of betrayal and despair, feeling their concerns have been systematically ignored by the authorities they believed would protect their community.
Wigan Council has been approached for comment regarding the residents' criticisms of the audit process and the wider impact of the Astley Business Park development.
