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Residents living in the shadow of four ‘monstrous’ 60ft tall warehouses have blamed the structures for flooding their gardens.
Those who stay near the controversial business park in Tyldesley, Wigan, have claimed that the new development has been signed off without proper ‘surface water plans’.
The families now fear that heavy downpours could send floodwater into their homes.
The Astley Business Park development includes four 60ft-tall warehouses.
The development has caused anger with neighbours previously comparing the huge structures to ‘cruise liners’ towering over their homes and blocking sunlight.
Last week Wigan Council ignored a 10,000-strong signature petition and ruled out halting building works.
The grey giants are owned by giant landowner Peel Land and Property (PLP).
Ian Southwell, 60, has been left worried the water will soon pour into his £550,000 five-bedroom, detached home.
The 60ft warehouses at Astley Business Park in Tyldesley, Wigan, have angered local residents
Floodwater in Ian Southwell’s garden which sits in the shadow of one of the huge structures
Residents are furious and believe the new development was signed off without proper ‘surface water plans’
He said: ‘The flooding started about four weeks ago. Now, it’s the worst it has ever been.
‘I have to wear wellies to go in the garden. I’d say the water is about 1.5ft deep.
‘I’m worried to death about it reaching the house, I can’t sleep at night.
‘As soon as I hear rain, I think about it coming up to the back door and into the house.
‘Before the warehouses, we didn’t have this flooding whatsoever.’
It has meant parts of his garden are now unusable amid rising water, he said.
Ian lives with his wife Maxine and two of their daughters in the shadow of one of the huge warehouses.
He added: ‘My garden is totally flooded at the bottom, it has killed off all my plants.
‘The back gate is rotten, so that needs replacing – and I’m probably going to need a new fence.
‘I’ve got lights in the garden and they’re actually submerged now, so I’ve had to turn them all off.’
Floodwater pooling across the bottom of Ian Southwell’s garden, with standing water covering plants and reaching the fence
Pictures show gardens transformed into murky pools, with brown water lapping against fence posts and swallowing lawns.
In several images, grass vanishes beneath inches of water, turning gardens into swamps.
Paths leading up to a nearby school also flooded for the first time, with parents having to ‘carry their kids’ over the floodwater on some walkways.
Residents insisted flooding was never an issue until construction began on the 350,000 sq ft industrial site – which has already leased one of the units to delivery giant Whistl on a long-term basis.
After complaining to Wigan Council about flooding, residents said they were told that the areas affected did not ‘form part of council’s adopted highway’, so the authority was not responsible.
It comes despite families saying they are ‘scared to go into their gardens’ in case the surface water issues cause any larger problems with sink holes.
Residents were forced to avoid some sections of the school route due to large sections being flooded
The huge buildings loom in the background of some of the houses in Tyldesley
Residents are now scared to enter their garden, worrying that surface water could lead to sink holes
Dave Gerrard, 46, has lived on the estate since 2019 and claimed flooding has made the bottom part of his garden unusable.
He said: ‘There’s a gate that I used to take the dog out onto the field – and it’s completely underwater now.
‘The water comes right over onto my patio area. In a couple of years, my whole fence will have rotted away.
‘I’m already thinking it’s going to cost me a lot of money.’
Dave, a builder of 30 years, added: ‘We’ve told Wigan Council that there has been a breach of planning rules, because there needs to be proper drainage in place.
‘But they’ve just ignored us as usual. We told them that the flooding was going to happen – it’s not come as a surprise.’
The flooding has also left families fearing the impact on house prices – adding to anger over the size and scale of the warehouses themselves, which they say they were never properly warned about during the planning process.
The Astley Warehouse Action Group, which has thousands of followers on social media, claim that revised planning drawings and water-management changes were never properly consulted on.
Wigan Council has already rejected a 10,000-signature petition demanding work be paused, saying no breach of planning control had occurred.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has previously met and discussed plans with residents.
They noted he was ‘sympathetic’ to their concerns but was limited in power.
Their demands follow Councillor James Fish quitting Wigan Council’s planning committee after being the only councillor to vote against the original warehouse plans.
He has also claimed his colleagues have admitted behind close doors, they ‘didn’t release how tall’ the buildings would be.
Other families in the area are questioning whether or not to stay and are concerned about the structures’ impact on property values.
The authority has been approached for further comment.
A spokesperson for PLP said the firm would not be commenting.