The 'giant mega-shed' that has left neighbours in tears

Villagers say a "gigantic mega-shed" built near their homes has blocked their view and left them feeling like they are in a prison camp. What is life like for them, and what can they do about it?

Work on the warehouse at Nacton, near Ipswich, began last year.

The size of six full-size football pitches, it is about 147m (482ft) wide, more than 300m (984ft) long and, at 21m (69ft) tall, towers over nearby gardens.

East Suffolk Council approved final plans for the structure at Equation Properties' Orwell Logistics Park in late 2021.

The authority says the decision was properly made, but neighbours argue it was "fundamentally wrong".

They have branded it a "monstrosity" and some say it has reduced them to tears.

"It's a gigantic mega-shed and, essentially, it is the wrong development, in the wrong location, and that was clear to anyone with common sense," says Adrian Day, 66.

He says developers rejected a request to put up cherry-pickers that would have given councillors a better idea of its potential size and impact.

"I think local planning is all done just to give local people the illusion that their opinion counts, because what they've done is inconsiderate and disrespectful," he says.

The structure, still under construction, sits parallel to a railway line and about 40-50m (130-165ft) from the back gardens of some homes in Felixstowe Road, which, despite their Nacton postal addresses, are actually within the parish of Foxhall.

The warehouse, adjacent to the A14, was advertised as having 424 car parking spaces, and 120 bays for lorries.

Once complete, it will be one of three warehouses there, but neighbours say planners could never truly have envisaged just how big it would be.

"We used to have views behind us of trees and fields, but now every time you look out the windows of your house, it looks like a stormy day - it's horrible," says Alan Thomas, 61.

"And we barely get any sun, but nothing we have ever said to the council has been taken note of. It's completely ridiculous and absolutely crazy."

The original outline planning application, which included since-axed plans for a fourth warehouse, received 29 letters of objection and an objection from Foxhall Parish Council, but was approved in 2018.

"When I applied for an extension, they turned me down multiple times on lots of things, and now they have just gone ahead and let them build this monstrosity," adds Mr Thomas.

In an online brochure for the development, Equation Properties said tenants would benefit from 24/7 access.

"So that means we're going to see lights and hear lorries and cars and clanking about," says Jenny Upson, 74, a Felixstowe Road resident for 17 years.

She says the building is an "abomination" and adds: "We were semi-rural but now we are at the edge of an industrial estate.

"We're having to try to live with it but it's difficult. It's horrendous."

During the building of the warehouse, residents could not open their doors due to the amount of dust being generated, they say.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said the vibrations killed the bees in his hives.

Jim Snell, 74, a resident for 22 years, says sounds from trains reverberate off the warehouse and disturb the peace.

"It has been absolutely horrendous for all of us and there has been scant regard given for anything we've said," he says.

Like his neighbours, he is unhappy about the lack of a graduated colour scheme, meaning the building struggles to blend in.

"When we first moved in, everything was geared to looking down the garden, but now all you see is this battleship-grey band along the top of a warehouse," he says.

Dave Ward, 72, says: "It looks like there is a thunderstorm all the time and we never see a sunset anymore because it goes down behind the building.

"We all complained, way before it even started being built, but there's always a reason why you're wrong and they're right. At the end of the day, it's all about money.

"We bought our home eight years ago as our last property, but I think we will end up moving now. You don't buy a south-facing property just to look at a wall."

Some residents say the building is taking an emotional toll and affecting their mental health.

Sheila Snell, 69, says she has "shed quite a few tears".

"I'm absolutely devastated because all I see is what is like a prison wall at the end of my garden, so it is like being in a prison camp," she says.

"It's like living in a grey day, every day. Who is going to want to buy something that looks on to a huge steel wall?"

She fears the value of her home might be affected, but according to Rightmove, the average sale price of a house in Felixstowe Road over the last year was £650,000 – 20% higher than the previous year.

So what, if anything can be done?

Amy Richardson, a partner in the planning law team at Ashtons Legal, says residents' only possible form of redress could be a "token gesture" of compensation, for which an ombudsman could lobby on their behalf.

"The difficulty is a homeowner can't protect a view, [even] when planning applications are submitted in close proximity to dwellings and it's going to have an impact," she says.

In this case, she says, it appears the council did consider the impact on residents but made a planning judgement that it would not cause sufficient harm.

"Unfortunately, on this one, there is no magic wand that can be waved to help the homeowners out in any way," she says.

While she acknowledges a possible effect on house prices, she believes their value will stabilise as the warehouse "settles into its environment".

"New people who come in will not know any different and some people won't care [about the warehouse]. But this one, yes; it's not very pleasant," she says.

Last year the decision to grant planning permission for a huge warehouse next to homes in Corby, Northamptonshire, was ruled to have not complied with the law.

Earlier, in 2021, a review into how a warehouse was allowed to be built in Milton Keynes found planning conditions were missed due to "human error".

East Suffolk Council, however, is confident it followed the correct procedure here.

"Members of the planning committee, many of whom have strong local knowledge, visited the site and neighbouring properties on two occasions," a spokesperson says.

"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."

Despite this, the BBC understands many residents have lodged formal complaints with the authority, and some are seeking compensation.

"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," the spokesperson adds.

"All complainants have been provided with information summarising the decision-making process and the considerations applied."

Labour MP for Suffolk Coastal, Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, says she recently met residents and had also been in contact with the warehouse's developers.

She says she wanted "to make sure that the concerns that the residents have are heard and understood".

Equation Properties was contacted for comment.

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