Wigan Council agrees to investigation into ‘monster’ warehouses near homes following petition by residents

Wigan Council is to commission an independent audit into the planning process behind a controversial development of four 60ft-high industrial warehouses towering over suburban homes.

The news comes after a petition launched by angry residents calling for an investigation reached more than 7,000 signatures.

The decision was made to “ensure additional transparency”, according to the council.

Residents of Henford Estate in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester found their homes under the shadow of large industrial units earlier this year. A band of locals named the Astley and Mosley Common Warehouses Action Group launched the Change.org petition last month, demanding work at the business hub be suspended while an independent review takes place.

Phil Matts, a 39-year old action group member and Henford Estate resident, said: “It’s something we’ve been pushing for. We don’t want a tick box exercise. We want it to be a deep dive into it. We know they’ve ticked the boxes. We want it to be clear, transparent. We want the whole thing looking at.

“I’m one of the residents who has this view [of the warehouses] every time I leave my front door. So the morale in my house is mixed.

“The choices that were made, why were they made? It’s good that they’re doing it but it needs to be properly done.”

The petition came after months of outcry and media attention surrounding Henford Estate, which is located next to the large industrial business park currently under construction by Peel Group developer PLP.

In a statement on Facebook, the action group said: “An independent audit will only hold credibility if the investigating body is genuinely impartial and agreed with residents before appointment.

“The full planning file, correspondence, and officer recommendations must be made available, and the council must commit to acting on any findings.”

John Peters, a 72-year-old resident of the estate said: “We thought we’d do the Change.org [petition] and it seems to be quite successful in spreading the word.

“The development has attracted nation-wide, if not further, attention. Every national newspaper, broadsheet and tabloid.

“The warehouses are 80 per cent complete. This thing is literally in our backyards.

“We’re bracing ourselves for the next stage. In spring it will be the start of the operation of the warehouses. We are absolutely dreading that. 250 lorries arriving each day, 24/7 working.”

The action group also says that the construction is having negative effects on pupils at nearby Garrett Hall Primary School.

During a meeting with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham last month, the residents’ group presented their concerns over the business park, but the metro mayor was said to have “limited power” over borough planning, according to Mr Peters.

The original planning application for the site was submitted by PLP to Wigan Council in June 2024. In a statement on its website, the council said: “We are aware that the decision and subsequent construction of an industrial site at Astley Park Way has attracted significant interest and media coverage.

“This land has been allocated as employment land since 2006, with warehousing always envisioned as an option for this site.”

The petition by the action group also called for assessments into the impacts the warehouses would have on the environment and visual landscape.

“This monster of a building has obviously caused so much distress,” wrote one petition supporter.