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Furious villagers are up in arms after a giant 21m high warehouse stretching for a length of more than 1,000ft was built at the end of their gardens.
Residents have described the building as a ‘gigantic mega-shed’ and a ‘monstrosity’ which looms over their homes.
They used to look out over an open field before the huge structure was erected last Autumn and replaced the scenic view with what they say is ‘a massive metal wall’.
Some have likened the building, which is the size of six football pitches, to a prison, saying it blocks out the sun and makes them feel as if they are inmates.
The locals have been told that the building is set to be used as a freight forwarding depot during construction of the new Sizewell C nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast.
They are angry that planning consent for it was granted by East Suffolk Council, despite fierce opposition from people living in the area.
Adrian Day, 66, who runs a software consultancy, condemned the approval of the plans as ‘inconsiderate and disrespectful’.
He said: ‘The new building is utterly insane and completely obliterates the outlook from our house.
‘The design of it is just dire. The grey cladding makes it permanently look as if a thunderstorm is brewing at the bottom of the garden.
Before and after: Left shows the area before the structure went up, as right is as it is now
Furious villagers are up in arms after a giant 21m high warehouse stretching for a length of more than 300m was built at the end of their gardens
Residents have described the building as a ‘gigantic mega-shed’ and a ‘monstrosity’ which looms over their homes
Adrian Day (pictured), 66, who runs a software consultancy, condemned the approval of the plans as ‘inconsiderate and disrespectful’
‘Some of our neighbours don’t want to open their bedroom curtains now because they don’t want to put up with the sight of it.’
The warehouse, which is 147m deep, is built on the other side of a railway track at the back of the homes in Nacton on the outskirts of Ipswich, Suffolk.
Mr Day said he went to the planning meeting when the plans were discussed and was shocked that councillors ‘did not seem to appreciate the size of it’.
He said: ‘I just think the members of the planning committee did not realise how big it was going to be.
‘They did decide to have a site visit before making a decision, but we were not allowed to talk to the councillors when they came.
‘I wanted them to get some cherry pickers at either end so they could visualise just how big it was going to be – but they didn’t want to do that.
‘The whole thing was just waived through after the planning officers recommended approval.
‘When it was discussed at the first meeting, they seemed to spend more time discussing another application to build a new porch on a house. It was ridiculous.
Residents used to look out over an open field before the huge structure was erected last Autumn and replaced the scenic view with what they say is ‘a massive metal wall’
Mr Day’s partner Jenny Upson (pictured) , 74, described the structure as ‘an abomination’
Ms Upson pictured in her garden with the ‘mega-shed’ blocking out any view of the fields
‘One of our neighbours tried to put up a six foot fence in front of his garden a while back and the council made him take it down because they said he was living in a semi-rural area and people had a right to look at his house.
‘But now we have to put to up with looking at this huge steel wall at the bottom of our gardens and that is not considered to be a problem. The design of it is just dire.
‘We just feel like the council has ignored the views of local people. It is maladministration in my view.
‘We bought our house because of the outlook over fields and now the view has been ruined.
‘People say we are bloody NIMBYs, but we already have the railway line and the A14 road on the other side of a field, and we don’t mind that. It is just unsettling to have this wall towering over us.’
Mr Day’s partner Jenny Upson, 74, described the structure as ‘an abomination’.
She added: ‘The whole thing is a farce. The building work started last summer and we had to put up with a lot of noise and dust from construction work.
‘First of all they put the vertical steels and then when they constructed the walls we realised just how big it was.
‘Now when you go into our back room, you are confronted by this huge wall and you cannot see the sky until you walk right up to the door.’
Dave Ward (pictured), 72, who used to run a pressure washing business, and lives with wife Jan, 75, said: ‘The council would never have a building like this on its doorstep – so why should we have it?’
Mr Ward pictured standing in his garden with the huge warehouse looming over his property
Some have likened the building, which is the size of six football pitches, to a prison, saying it blocks out the sun and makes them feel as if they are inmates
The locals have been told that the building is set to be used as a freight forwarding depot during construction of the new Sizewell C nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast
Dave Ward, 72, who used to run a pressure washing business, and lives with wife Jan, 75, said: ‘The council would never have a building like this on its doorstep – so why should we have it?
‘They bulldozed the plans through because it was money in their pockets. I wouldn’t have minded if it had been 10m lower. I just can’t see why it has to be so big.
‘We moved here nine-years-ago and thought it would be the last move in our lifetimes, but now I don’t think it will be.
‘We are annoyed because of the lack of consultation. Nobody talked to us about the colour of the building. We have heard talk about them repainting it, but we will have to wait and see.’
Retired merchant seaman Neil Goldie, 78, said: ‘I just can’t understand why it has to be so high. It is a monstrosity which has blighted the area.
‘They talk about it eventually blending in o the area – but in my mind it looks cheap and nasty.
‘We used to get full sun in our garden all year round which was one of the reasons we loved living here.
‘But during this winter, the sun only came half way up the garden because it was being blocked out by the wall.
‘We used to have skylarks nesting in the field at the back, but of course they have gone now.’
The warehouse can be seen from the other side of residents’ homes towering above their roofs
Wendy Pulham, 70, who lives with husband Greg (pictured together), 70, said: ‘It is much bigger than we imagined it would be, and we are stuck looking at it the whole time’
Mr and Mrs Pulham pictured in their garden with the building seen blocking their view in the background
Wendy Pulham, 70, who lives with husband Greg, 70, said: ‘It is much bigger than we imagined it would be, and we are stuck looking at it the whole time.
‘When we arrived here 21-years-ago, people said it was green belt land at the back, but now we have this monstrosity. It makes me miserable to look out on it.
‘Hopefully we will still get a bit of sun in the summer, but at the moment it looks like a prison and we are worried about our house going down in value.’
Mr Pulham said: ‘We have always had the railway line at the back of the house – but the walls of the building reflect the sound so it makes the trains even louder.
‘I have also noticed that the end of our garden is a lot damper now because we have lost the sun this winter.
‘The battleship grey colour makes it looks like a storm is coming in the whole time. Once the building is in operation, there will be worse to come because we will have to put up with the noise of lorries coming and going.’
Caroline Sturman said she and her husband Simon had known that the building was planned when they bought a house in the road around two-years-ago.
They have since demolished the old house on their plot and have built a new home which they are about to move into with their 11-year-old daughter Hattie.
Mrs Sturman said: ‘We just didn’t realise how big the building would be. When we bought the land here, we had a view of phenomenal sunsets form the back.
‘Now when you look out from upstairs, all you can see is this huge building. It is horrendous for or neighbours who have lived here a long time.’
Community nurse Sarah Andrews who lives with her husband Mark, an environmental scientist, and their five children, said: ‘We are lucky because only the car park for the building is at the back of our house – but we can still see the walls’
An aerial shot of the huge warehouse backing on to the gardens of the residents who once looked out on to rolling fields
A view of the wall of the new giant warehouse looming over the back gardens of homes in Nacton near Ipswich, Suffolk
Locals are angry that planning consent for it was granted by East Suffolk Council, despite fierce opposition from people living in the area.
Community nurse Sarah Andrews who lives with her husband Mark, an environmental scientist, and their five children, said: ‘We are lucky because only the car park for the building is at the back of our house – but we can still see the walls.
‘Construction work is still going on and the noise is a bit of a pain. Last summer there was constant vibrations from building equipment.
‘We are also concerned that the building is interfering with our mobile phone signal. It was fine when we arrived – but now our signal keeps dropping out.
‘Quite often, we have to go to the top of the house to take a call because we can’t get a signal downstairs.’
Book keeper Julie Judge, 62, who lives with husband Gary, 65, added: ‘It is just an eyesore.
‘When planning permission was first discussed, I was under the impression it was going to be smaller than other warehouses in the area. We just could not visualise it.
‘Then when we came back from holiday last September, they had put up the steel supports and we were like, ‘Oh my God!’
Mr Judge added: ‘Say what you like, it’s here now. We have been here 40 years and we never expected this land to be built on.’
East Suffolk Council has insisted that planning consent was properly given for the warehouse which is set to have 424 car parking spaces, and 120 bays for lorries.
Book keeper Julie Judge, 62, who lives with husband Gary, 65, added: ‘It is just an eyesore’
East Suffolk Council has insisted that planning consent was properly given for the warehouse which is set to have 424 car parking spaces, and 120 bays for lorries
A picture of one of the homes with the grey warehouse seen blocking any view of the fields behind
A council spokesperson said: ‘Members of the planning committee, many of whom have strong local knowledge, visited the site and neighbouring properties on two occasions.
‘They considered the representations received and heard directly from neighbours in the planning committee meetings.
‘The planning decision was made in accordance with the development plan and planning legislation.
‘The impact of any development on private property values is not a material planning consideration which affects decision making.
‘If it was felt that there had been procedural errors in this planning decision, there was an option to request a judicial review within six weeks of the decision date. No judicial review was requested.
‘This application was fully and properly assessed in its impact on neighbours, and we do not believe there was any fault in the decision-making process.
‘All complainants have been provided with information summarising the decision-making process and the considerations applied.’
London-based Equation Properties did not respond to a request for comment.
Equation Properties has not responded to a request for comment.