Man has £170,000 wiped off five-bed home due to warehouse buildings
A homeowner said that he has had £170,000 lost on the value of his house after four huge warehouses were erected right next to it.
David Gerrard lives in the five bedroom house with his family in Wigan, Lancashire in the UK where the enormous warehouses have been built at the highly controversial Astley Business Park development.
This has seen 60ft tall warehouses developed, sparking outrage from the community living next to them, including anger about the planning process for how the projects were approved despite the concern of residents about the impact.
David, a builder, bought the house for £360,000 in 2019, not long after the estate was built, and said that before the huge buildings were erected his house was valued at around £500,000.
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"When we got our valuation, we were totally gobsmacked," he said, at how much money has been lost.
"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."
Even this however was wishful thinking, with David adding: "He said, being honest, that we probably wouldn't be able to sell it because of the warehouses."
Now, David says his whole life has been thrown off by the warehouses' construction, saying: "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."
The warehouses have been the subject of intense criticism, including from Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig, who said that they 'didn't sit right' with her, and social media creator turned community activist Zoë Bread who has vociferously pushed for further transparency on how the warehouses were approved for construction.
Four industrial units were built just metres from nearby homes, with the 350,000 square feet development being commissioned by PLP.
The impact has been compounded since logistics business Whistl became the first company to operate out of the site, with residents reporting HGVs arriving every hour of the day and night, as well as engine noise, banging, and a background hum.
A spokesperson for Whistl told LADbible that they had 'taken numerous measures to address residents’ concerns' which 'have gone a long way towards reducing nighttime noise'.
David said that the impact has been devastating.
"It's just awful," he said. "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."
Following a co-ordinated effort by a community action group campaigning against the warehouses, Whistl has since admitted that noise 'has had an impact on nearby residents' and agreed to cease transport operations at the site between midnight and 6am.
Since the warehouses were built residents have reported flooding in their gardens, as well as the bright blue security lights disturbing them, and automated security warnings echoing out.
Wigan Council has carried out an independent audit, which found that permission was granted in accordance with the proper procedures and legislation.
But this also found that people living near the site were given 'no meaningful opportunity' to engage with the planning process prior to the application being submitted.
A spokesperson for Whistl told LADbible: “We acknowledge and take very seriously the concerns held by Astley residents. We recognise the impact that the noise of operations at the new additional units at Astley Business Park site, PLP Astley, have had on the local residents and know that they need solutions that work for all.
“We are committed to being a responsible and respectful neighbour and have taken numerous measures to address residents’ concerns as they are raised by them to us and reduce noise from the site, which has included pausing overnight transport operations in the yard at the PLP Astley site.
"Other measures that we have introduced are explained on our website https://page.whistl.co.uk/astley-business-park. We have provided local neighbours with a dedicated reporting process that helps us know if there are issues that may arise that we can deal with in the moment, where we are able.
“We are aware that the measures agreed have gone a long way towards reducing nighttime noise, and we are content that progress has been achieved recently. We will continue to work to find a longer-term solution between Whistl, Astley residents, Wigan Council and the site owner, PLP.”
LADbible has contacted PLP for a comment.
Kit Roberts