# Dream home loses £170k after warehouses built next door > A builder in Wigan watched his property value plummet after four massive industrial units appeared metres from his house. - Title: Dream home loses £170k after warehouses built next door - Summary: A builder in Wigan watched his property value plummet after four massive industrial units appeared metres from his house. Large industrial developments built… - Keywords: david gerrard, wigan, lancashire, astley business park, tyldesley, greater manchester, property values, warehouses, whistl, bev craig, planning permission, noise pollution - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16123233/Homeowner-dream-house-mega-warehouses.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-09-16T00:11:14+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: david gerrard, wigan, lancashire, astley business park, tyldesley, greater manchester, property values, warehouses, whistl, bev craig, planning permission, noise pollution ## House value crashes by £170,000 David Gerrard's five-bedroom home in Wigan dropped from £500,000 to just £380,000 after four 60ft warehouses were built next door. > When we got our valuation, we were totally gobsmacked. ## Estate agent says unsellable The agent told Gerrard the house would be worth £550,000 without the warehouses. He warned they probably wouldn't be able to sell it at all. > He said, being honest, that we probably wouldn't be able to sell it because of the warehouses. ## Four massive industrial units The 350,000 sq ft Astley Business Park includes warehouses reaching 18.3 metres high, just metres from homes. Neighbours compare them to cruise liners. ## Bought as dream retirement plan Gerrard paid £360,000 for the newly built property in 2019. He'd worked seven days a week since age 16 and planned the house as his pension. > The house would have been my pension. I got the money to buy it through grafting for seven days a week since I was 16. ## Never imagined this scale Though the land was earmarked for employment use, Gerrard never expected anything as massive as the four warehouses that eventually appeared. ## Other homes not selling either Houses on the estate once sold rapidly due to a sought-after school. Now several have been listed and taken down again because they won't sell. > Previously, they'd go like hot cakes because we have a sought-after school here. ## Round the clock HGV noise Logistics firm Whistl operates from one unit with HGVs arriving day and night. Residents report banging, engine noise and persistent humming disturbing sleep. ## From dream to nightmare Gerrard says he hates living there now. Inside the house is lovely, but then you hear the noise from the HGVs. > We've gone from having our dream house to not wanting to be here at all. ## Whistl acknowledges impact The company admitted noise has affected nearby residents. They agreed to stop transport movements between midnight and 6am from September 7. ## Gardens flooding for first time Residents reported their gardens flooding for the first time since the warehouses were built, adding to their list of complaints. ## Blue lights flash into bedrooms Homeowners complain of bright blue security lights flashing into bedroom windows and automated warnings booming from the site. ## Planning was technically legal An independent audit found planning permission was granted according to legislation and procedures. But it revealed a major flaw. ## No chance to engage The audit concluded residents had been given no meaningful opportunity to engage before the planning application was submitted. ## Mayor visits angry residents Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig walked the estate perimeter on August 28 and met with residents about their concerns. ## Something doesn't sit right Craig said seeing something so large built so close to homes didn't sit right with her. She heard first-hand about noise, flooding and other issues. ## Neighbours lost £60k to £80k Gerrard had heard other neighbours discussing property value drops of £60,000 or £80,000. He wasn't prepared for his own £170,000 loss. ## Key takeaway Large industrial developments built near residential areas can devastate property values, sometimes making homes impossible to sell.