Astley residents reveal 'constant disruption' from Whistl as public inquiry continues for second day
A two-day inquiry, chaired by deputy traffic commissioner John Baker, is continuing at The Brick Community Stadium in Wigan today.
Residents close to a Whistl logistics centre at the notorious Astley warehouse development have told a public inquiry how “horrific’”noise has had a profound effect on their lives.
Whistl has applied to the traffic commissioner to house 60 HGVs and 95 trailers at the PLP-operated Astley Business Park.
But many people are attempting to block the plans and are urging refusal of the application.
A two-day inquiry, chaired by deputy traffic commissioner John Baker, is continuing at The Brick Community Stadium in Wigan today.
Witness Kelly McCormack, of Daisyfield, told the inquiry she did not “understand how this could be allowed to happen”.
She said: “Currently I’m at home on maternity leave with my seven-month-old daughter. The noise and light pollution at night is horrific. Our home is in the line of sight of the Whistl traffic. It’s unbelievable, I can’t even pen the window as we hear banging from lorries and accelerating. It’s massively impacting me.
“We’ve lived here four years but we would never have bought if we’d known this was going up.
“There’s not much difference whether it’s early morning or afternoon and in the evening it’s more profound because it’s quieter.
“From when shovel went in the ground, I’ve not used my garden. Now, because we’re bordering the protective bunds, people can see straight into our home and there’s the vehicles fumes.
“We find ourselves keeping the curtains and blind shut most of the time. Summer’s been and gone and I’ve not been in the garden with my baby.
“At night , I’ll be dozing off and I can hear trucks and banging. It’s been horrendous since that first shovel in the ground and then Whistl operations starting.
“I don’t understand how this could happen.”
David Gerrard, who has lived on Thistlecroft with his wife and three daughters since 2019, said: “The impact is throughout the house, we don’t use the garden like we used to. We used to socialise there with friends in the garden – now I’m embarrassed to have people round.
“To be honest it now looks like I bought a house in the middle of Trafford Park.
“I’m finding it difficult, my wife finds it difficult. The lorries illuminate the children’s bedrooms. Hazard lights flash amber, brake lights flash red, the lorries dock, they shunt.
“I’m a bricklayer, I don’t know about rucks, but I know every noise they can make.
“Some of them have have fog lights on the top, they resemble the Christmas Coca Cola truck.
“The other day I went into the bedroom at 5.30pm and stayed until 12, I time-stamped vehicle movement, every van and wagon, there were 113 movements over seven hours
“That’s one movement every 3.5 minutes and that was just a regular Tuesday evening. How are we meant to live like this? It’s ruining our lives.”
Amanda Robinson has lived on Withington Drive for nine years and works from home the majority of time.
She told the hearing: “Working 9am to 6pm my job require face-to-face calls, commercial negotiations, focus and concentration.
“There is now constant disruption, high-pitched beeping and vehicle noise, even worse when windows are open.
“I cannot have windows open at all. I haven’t spent as much time enjoying property inside and out because of noise.
“Prior to reduced operating times it was affecting my sleep, I often woke at 4am from the beeping. Since reduced operating times they don’t start until 6am.
The 24-hour operations at unit two were started by Whistl in July under an interim licence.
Shortly after, neighbours complained of “cacophonous” noise, vibration, fumes, visual intrusion and road safety impacts from the round-the-clock operation.
After engaging with residents and introducing noise mitigation, Whistl has voluntarily stopped vehicle movements at the site between midnight and 6am as a result of the complaints.
The inquiry has recognised 143 valid objections, many of whom will be represented by Astley Warehouse Action Group.
The second and concluding day of the inquiry is focussing on the objections from residents.
Following the conclusion of the hearing, the deputy traffic commissioner said he would attempt to deliver a decision within 28 days.