Fury in UK town as ‘monster’ 18m-high mega-shed towers over homes | UK | News

Exasperated residents whose homes are overshadowed by four ‘monster’ warehouses are demanding an immediate halt to construction work.

Homeowners in Tyldesley, Wigan, said the signing off of 18ft-high gray sheds by planning chiefs was a “systemic failure”. Shocking images show two partially built ‘cruise ship-like’ warehouses rising 60ft behind their homes.

The request comes after the only councilor who voted against the warehouse plans left Wigan Council’s planning committee, claiming the consultation process had not worked. The warehouses form part of the Astley Business Park development, which includes four large industrial units covering 350,000 square metres.

Two of these are allowed to reach heights of 18.3 m (60 ft) and one is currently leased to delivery giant Whistl. Retired teacher John Peters, 71, lives just meters from the massive warehouse and is one of 5,000 people who have signed a petition insisting construction work be stopped.

He said: “We want this to stop pending an independent investigation into Wigan Council’s planning department. “Our understanding is that impact assessments were not carried out properly.

“It’s hard to believe that this could be approved when there are 18-metre-high warehouses just meters away from people’s homes. Work should be suspended until we get answers.

“The warehouses are nearly 80 percent complete and are on pace to open in spring 2026. But the noise from construction is getting worse. God help us when 24/7 operation begins and 250 trucks hit the road.”

He was one of many residents who met with Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and MP Michael Wheeler last week to discuss the plans.

Mr Peters said: “We are still waiting for them to respond to the issues raised at the meeting. “Andy Burnham said the local authority’s powers were limited when dealing with planning decisions but we asked him to support our actions.

“When I first spoke to him, he said he was shocked by the development; we didn’t see anyone who looked at it who didn’t have the same reaction. He was understanding throughout the meeting and appeared to be listening to us.”

Calls for his suspension follow the departure of Major James Fish from Wigan Council’s planning committee.

He was the only councilor to vote against the original warehouse plans and claimed some of his colleagues have since admitted privately that they “didn’t realize how tall they were going to be”.

He said: “We need to serve communities with integrity, but we have councilors privately saying they didn’t know how tall Tyldesley depots would be and wish they had voted against it, councilors are falling asleep at meetings and arriving late.”

Cllr Fish also argued that the current public consultation process needed an urgent overhaul. A petition launched by Astley Action Group accuses Wigan Council of “forcibly implementing” the plans without proper scrutiny.

Craig Davies, 39, who is behind the petition, said: “There are a lot of things that don’t seem right. We hope the council will act sensibly and launch an investigation.”

He emphasized that a proper environmental impact assessment had not been carried out and that neighbors were exposed to “pollution, noise and health problems”.

The petition says: “This is a systemic failure that requires independent investigation and accountability. The government must intervene and review how this was allowed to happen.”

can be found Here. Wigan Council, Andy Burnham and Michael Wheeler MP have been approached for comment.