The next generation of supersheds are coming: Get ready for even bigger warehouses blighting families' views across the UK
SOURCE:Daily Mail
Largely built to accommodate the irrepressible rise of online shopping, these structures are snapped up by large companies so consumers can get the latest products to their door in record time.
Instantly recognisable, they are sprouting up like terrifying steel spectres across the country, turning green and pleasant land into a cold industrial wilderness.
They're the supersheds. And their sprawling UK tour has taken them from sleepy Suffolk to idyllic Gloucestershire.
Largely built to accommodate the irrepressible rise of online shopping, these structures are snapped up by large companies, including Amazon and The Range, so consumers can get the latest products delivered to their door in record time.
But as those already blighted by these enormous warehouses continue their campaigns against them, more are getting ready to fight plans to bring them to their village.
Many live in the most scenic parts of the country, untouched for generations until the supershed revolution threatened their rural peace.
How can big developers bypass the country's Green Belt rules? It can often be as simple as changing the area's local plan, filing a string of appeals until it accommodates their project.
That is what families living in Chorley, Lancashire face.
Not content with the existing sprawl of warehouses at Botany Bay Business Park, built several years ago, developer FI Real Estate wants to expand its empire further - and this time on Green Belt land.
Supersheds have been popping up all over the country, including at Astley Business Park in Wigan, pictured
A string of huge sheds pictured in between rows of homes in Wigan
But there are more of these behemoths to come (pictured: proposed warehouses in Diseworth, Leicestershire)
The previous site was identified in the local plan and the application was duly granted planning permission, despite significant opposition.
Now FI - whose managing director and owner Tim Knowles is worth an estimated £734m - is looking to build a new site off nearby Finnington Lane, but has run into some inevitable difficulties on this picturesque stretch of countryside.
Despite its Green Belt status, the company conducted a scoping exercise in 2022 and set about 'ripping up the land', according to Ann Christopher, 68, who lives in Abbey Village around a mile away from the proposed development.
FI inspected a historic quarry, farming land and a reservoir which has been at the spot for more than a century and boasts an array of wildlife.
In turn, Lancashire County Council slapped the business with a stop notice and ordered it to return everything to its original state in 2023.
The company even scoped around the Weaver's Way walking route, an age-old path which pays homage to the area's cotton industry past.
FI has appealed against the ruling and the enforcement order remains unenforced.
'This was a delaying tactic,' Ms Christopher told the Daily Mail. 'They destroyed lots and lots of wildlife.'
Campaigners pictured protesting plans for supersheds near Chorley, Lancashire. A developer is looking to build a new set of warehouses on Green Belt land
The company has been on a damaging scoping exercise and was handed a stop notice in 2023 (pictured: land on which new Chorley warehouses are proposed)
More warehouses are also proposed for the Astley project, pictured much to the ire of locals
The structures in Wigan loom over people's gardens and have even been blamed by residents for flooding
And in the meantime, an even more worrying sign - Preston, Chorley, and South Ribble councils have been drawing up a new local plan and residents are waiting with bated breath to see if it will pave the way for a clutch of supersheds.
The plan has been submitted to the government and is currently at the public examination stage, but FI has attempted to challenge the final section of the plan - and ensure the site is identified for big warehouses.
The company's advisor is the former chief executive of Chorley and South Ribble Council, leaving some locals concerned that FI might find a way to get the site passed at the last minute.
Diligent campaigners have raised funds through festivals and special events to get organised and acquire legal advice, and they also have The Campaign to Protect Rural England helping them out with a potential response to the new local plan.
But the fearful residents are holding fire until the plan is released in the coming weeks, a document which could send the probability of a supershed invasion soaring from an outside chance to a near certainty.
Ms Christopher said: 'All of the traffic coming from Manchester comes past our villages to avoid the bottleneck of the M61.
'We've already had a historic railway bridge collapse in our village, caused purely by the weight of traffic, and we estimate between 2,800 and 3,000 HGV movements in a day [following the introduction of warehouses].
'You've also got the visual effects. We are in a very historic area. We've got Grade I listed building and lots of Grade II*. So the highest you can get.
FI has appealed against the ruling and the enforcement order remains unenforced (pictured: historic scenery in the Chorley area)
Diligent campaigners have raised funds through festivals and special events to get organised and acquire legal advice
'There are a lot of country pubs, people come walking around here and there is green tourism around here. This development would be relentless, day and night, and completely ruin the area.'
A spokesperson for FI Real Estate Management said: 'The planning application for the development at Stanworth Land is going through due process, and all technical matters have been addressed by statutory consultees.
'The development will create a significant number of jobs in the local area, delivering substantial economic benefit.
'We have worked closely with National Highways and Lancashire County Council to minimise impacts on the local road network, and we continue to adhere to the guidelines issued by the government in respect of green belt designation.'
An uncannily similar ordeal has been inflicted on those living in Takeley Street, Essex, a residential area sitting in a strip of rural land separating Stansted Airport from the nearby towns.
Here too, the local authority has set about reshaping the local plan and residents are understandably nervous.
More worrying still, the new local plan aims to turn the 67-acre site touted for a mass of supersheds from a Countryside Protection Zone into a 'place for employment'.
This would effectively condemn some of the best and most versatile farmland in the region to a grey zone of industrial buildings.
Campaigners argue there would likely be consequences for the surrounding area, including Hatfield Forest, a Site of Special Scientific Interest 100 metres across the road from the proposed warehouses.
Describing the ecostructure in the forest as on a 'knife edge', a member of the Takeley Street Action Group, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: 'The pollution could tip that balance into irreversible decline.
'They don't seem to care that it is protected.'
A new local plan has been submitted to the government and is currently at the public examination stage and campaigners are waiting with bated breath
Meanwhile, the forest at Priory Wood has been used regularly by scouts for years but lies just 15 metres from the boundary of the potential site.
In another echo of other supershed sagas elsewhere, a council official works for the developer. In this case, the Uttlesford District Council chair is an employee of Pigeon and happened to be on the board which discussed the passing of the local plan.
And as for their local MP, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, he ruefully said: 'She is not fighting for her constituents.'
Campaigners also face an arduous task trudging through the 4,000-page planning document which they hope will hold the key to a potential appeal sometime down the line.
The main concern is the dramatic increase in traffic the development is expected to bring.
The campaigner described the future of the area as '24/7 lorries and lights', adding: 'The road is already at severe levels. We cannot take any more traffic.
'With these lorries thundering down the road...listed buildings could fall into the ground.
'And these lorries will shine directly into bedroom windows overnight.'
Proposed warehouse in Diseworth, Leicestershire. The historic spot is on green-sealed agricultural productive land but the local plan is being updated
Sewage also has the potential to cause problems, adding to the existing strain on local infrastructure.
'There's no sewage outside the site, you can't connect to Thames Water,' he said.
'They will end up just building the site and then connecting it to the village sewage works, which is already overloading and flooding out and being released into the local stream.
'They can use all the local infrastructure but there is no consideration for the locals.
'It is in the wrong place and it is going to be bad for the environment.'
In response, the developer has attempted to appease locals by drawing attention to the employment the site might bring - but the campaigner is not convinced.
'The employment that will come, will come from outside of Uttlesford,' he said.
'Most people in the area are in information employment and are not pickers and packers.'
The site of potential warehouses in Takeley Street, Essex, outlined. Here too, the local authority has set about reshaping the local plan and residents are understandably nervous
The new plan aims to turn the 67-acre site touted for a mass of supersheds from a Countryside Protection Zone into a 'place for employment' (pictured: countryside in Takeley Street)
But the most tangible aspect will, once again, be a visible one, transforming rolling East Anglia fields into a steel jungle.
'The fields are beautiful all year round,' he said. 'When people look out their houses to see 60ft grey walls, it will be depressing and it will give them mental health issues.
'If we don't fight at this stage it will end up expanding further.
'We will be going from a quiet, peaceful, dark, rural area to the middle of an industrial site.'
As in Chorley, families in Takeley Street face a nervous wait for the arrival of a new local plan which may well seal their fate. The document is expected in the coming weeks.
'It's not too late and we're fighting hard,' he added.
An Uttlesford District Council spokesperson said: 'The local plan was submitted to government for examination in December 2024. It allocated a site in Takeley, close to the M11 (known as land north of Taylor’s Farm) for employment development.
'The specifics of the site allocation had been amended following responses to a public consultation in November and December 2023. The council has not made any changes to it since submission in 2024.
'It has since been subject to an examination in public and issues of environmental impact and traffic were scrutinised by government inspectors with interested parties and local residents given the opportunity to present their own views.
'In October 2024, Cllr Criscione made the council aware he was taking up an offer of employment with a land promotor involved in the promotion of the said site for development. He resigned his seat on the Local Plan Panel (the panel of councillors which steers the production of the local plan) from then on.
'He also recused himself from the December 2024 council meeting where the vote was taken to agree the draft plan and agree it be submitted to government. The councillor’s course of action was in full accordance with the requirements of the council’s constitution which promotes transparency and the avoidance of conflicts of interest.
'It is fully expected that Cllr Criscione will again recuse himself from any future votes on the local plan for the same reasons.'
Residents of conservation village Diseworth are being faced with the previously unthinkable prospect of a supershed sprawl.
The historic spot in Leicestershire is on green-sealed agricultural productive land - a no-go zone for the enormous warehouses.
The main concern in Essex is the dramatic increase in traffic the development is expected to bring
The area has never been designated for industrial development - and is still not - but here too the developers are hoping to circumvent any difficulties by getting the local plan tweaked.
North West Leicestershire District Council, while carrying out their obligation to update the plan every few years, have issued a call for sites for industrial purposes and both East Midlands Airport and SEGRO logistics have submitted plans for huge B8 sheds in the area.
The organisations are using the concept of Freeports, special economic zones introduced by Rishi Sunak which offer significant tax relief to companies working within them, to push through their projects.
Most existing Freeports are on brown field sites, but Diseworth represents a departure from this.
Initial East Midlands Airport and SEGRO plans for a Freeport included a patch of non-protected nearby land, but these were rejected for being too small.
The companies then added the green-sealed land which has become the point of contention in a resubmitted plan rushed through without public consultation.
Normal planning permission technically applies to any projects on this patch of land but 'special material consideration' must be given to the fact it was designated as a Freeport - i.e. an area ring-fenced to boost investment, trade, and job creation.
Diseworth is only protected from developments deemed to not constitute 'nationally significant infrastructure'.
‹ Slide me ›
Pictured: an artistic impression of a street in Carrington before and after a proposed warehouse is installed
This creates a Catch-22 situation many campaigners fear will only end in one thing: the introduction of huge B8 sheds.
The initial arrangement saw East Midlands Airport and SEGRO each agree to have half the land, but the latter pushed on alone and in 2024 was granted permission to start proceedings.
If the company is granted with a Development Consent Order (DCO), it can get compulsory purchasing powers over the airport's share of the land.
But East Midlands Airport is not folding quietly and has teamed up with huge US-shed organisation Prologis to press on with their project using normal planning procedures.
This big business feud for idyllic Midlands land was not available on the public record and campaigners only uncovered the saga using Freedom of Information requests.
Whoever wins the battle, it appears the area will be condemned to an invasion of supersheds, but families in Diseworth, which already looks out onto rows of nearby sheds associated with a separate project, are still fighting.
It is not lost on them, however, the challenges that lie ahead for a tiny village of 400 residents fighting two huge companies.
And as if didn't already seem like everyone was against them, locals discovered a new town of 4,000 homes has been approved nearby - on the basis that their historic land will be used for Freeport infrastructure projects.
In Tyldesley, Wigan, parents had to piggy-back their children through an ankle-deep flooded path that they say has been caused by four 'monstrous' 60ft tall warehouses
Residents are furious and believe the new development was signed off without proper 'surface water plans'
Richard Brackenbury said: 'We've got an uphill struggle on the principle, given the Freeport is government-backed, and we are concerned by the total lack of transparency as to what's going on with the competing applications.
'It is displaying a scandalous level of secrecy with real-world consequences for a small community now being forced to fight on two fronts.
'B8 sheds, with their 24-hour working, have their place but no closer than 800 meters from people's homes. Any nearer and their lives are made a misery through the closeness of slab sides, noise, light and air pollution.
'Say nothing of pressure on local roads and the destruction of 250 acres of agricultural land.'
Stuart Dudley moved into his current property in Diseworth, which he describes as an 'absolutely stunning conservation village', three years ago.
But just three months into his time at his dream home, he heard the news that his area was to be designated as Freeport land and therefore eligible for industrial projects.
He said: 'These things are huge. They run 24 hours a day. You get noise, you get light pollution, you get anti-social behavior.
'No one will tell us how legally [the Freeport was assigned]. Our Freedom of Information requests have been denied at the highest level.
The 60ft warehouses at Astley Business Park in Tyldesley have angered local residents
'So we've got developers fighting each other now to develop this land, which should be protected, because we're a conservation village.
'How can hard working people like us, a small, quiet village, find ourselves being thrown under the bus?'
Locals already know the ordeal that comes with the arrival of supersheds, after huge warehouses visible for '15 miles', according to Mr Dudley, appeared in the corner of four villages - Diseworth, Lockington, Hemington, and Kegworth.
This development brought increased traffic and regular gridlocks on the over-strained local roads.
'No one's born hating any of this stuff,' Mr Dudley added. 'But when you shove them in people's faces, it's a life-changing, unpleasant situation.
'At the moment, they can stick them literally at the end of your garden - and in what world is that the right thing to do?'
Again, hundreds of residents of rural Britain now have to wait on tenterhooks to see if their local plan will be adjusted to allow the arrival of a bevy of supersheds.
'We're hard working and we are very resourceful, but the odds against us are massive,' Mr Dudley said.
A spokesperson for SEGRO said: 'Our proposed East Midland Gateway phase 2 scheme will create around 4,000 new jobs and deliver around £325 million of investment into the local area.
'It will be progressed through the required statutory planning processes, which require a full, transparent assessment of environmental, traffic and community impacts.'
The huge buildings loom in the background of some of the houses in Tyldesley
Back up north, in Carrington, Greater Manchester, 169 hectares of Green Belt land has been released for developments, consisting of roads and warehouses.
Around 15,500 sqm of warehouses and other industrial floor-space was planned for the site in 2022, but Trafford Council rejected the proposal.
But they are now back on track after a government-appointed planning inspector overturned the ruling, despite the development being on agricultural land, home to a variety of wildlife, and close to a Grade II-listed church.
Campaigners in this proposed supershed hotspot are also concerned about traffic building up in a poorly serviced area, causing increases in air, noise and light pollution.
They are also worried about strain on school places and GPs due to an surging local population.
Marj Powner told the Daily Mail: 'It will have a mental, physical and financial effect and those impacts get picked up by the public purse.
'We reported to the planning inspectorate that the planning application aimed to completely fell a woodland site of biological importance - our comments were totally ignored.
'There is a biased planning process, you have to fight really hard to get development refused.
An existing warehouse in Corby, Northamptonshire. Locals living underneath the sheds have told the Mail the mental health cost is ruinous
'They only consider it from a growth perspective rather than the implications of what will happen locally.
'Communities don't know what is happening until it is too late.'
Building works in Tyldesley, Wigan have been passionately protested against for months but the council is refusing to halt plans to erect more supersheds.
This month, parents had to piggy-back their children through an ankle-deep flooded path they say has been caused by four existing 'monstrous' 60ft tall warehouses.
Mothers and fathers filmed themselves during the morning school run wading through the muddy water near to the controversial Astley business park.
Wigan Council told them developers have promised to build a ditch along the path in a bid to stop the flooding.
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.
These metal behemoths have begun to spring up all across the country (pictured: the foundations of a warehouse in Pilning, Gloucestershire)
On Felixstowe Road in Nacton, Suffolk, this Christmas will be the first spent in the shadow of 'The Shed'
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.
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.
Others have branded the colossal steel frames 'monstrous', claiming the 350,000 sq ft warehouse hub arrived on their doorstep 'overnight'.
Plans from developer PLP show the enormous complex will eventually host four warehouses, with the council agreeing to a maximum height of 18.3m (60ft) for two of the buildings.
Building work started earlier this year and despite the scale of the project, it is expected to be completed in January 2026.
Experts say the size, frequency and scale of the projects is likely to increase to cope with demand (pictured: a warehouse in Corby seen for miles)
Footage taken from inside the residents' gardens shows the huge warehouse development - likened to a 'cruise ship' - towering over their homes.
Aside from their overwhelming appearance, families have also complained of noise, the impact on the value of their homes, quality of life and the traffic it will bring.
Resident Dawn Hornby had only just moved into her home when construction began. Overlooking the massive structure from her window, she told BBC News: 'It felt like it went up overnight, it just grew and grew and grew. If you can imagine a football stadium in your back garden.
'I never in a million years expected it this big. They just cheated everybody, I feel cheated.'
Ms Hornby said when she asked one of the workers what was going on when she moved in, they told her it would be 'low lying', adding: 'You won't see them, don't worry love you're not going to see it.'
John Peters, who is part of Residents Steering Group, has also seen his life transformed by the controversial development.
He said: 'Suddenly, probably at the start of the summer holidays, this monster started to grow in the field.
'This is my retirement home and it's a big, big disappointment to then see this happen.'
Locals already living in the shadow of the sheds have revealed they are destroying their cherished homes (pictured: a warehouse in Astley, Manchester)
A campaign group has been set up to fight the development, with some families now tempted to move away from the area but have been left concerned about the structure's impact on property values.
A Wigan Council spokesperson said: 'Decisions on whether to approve planning permission are taken in line with national planning policy.
'All the potential implications and risks of a development are fully considered during the planning process, and planning officer reports to elected members include assessments of the potential impact on residents and the surrounding area.
'This includes matters such as noise, air quality, traffic, appearance and other environmental impacts.
'Nevertheless, we recognise and understand the concerns expressed by local residents and are committed to engaging constructively to address any issues that may arise from these developments – including working with developers to ensure projects are delivered properly, to minimise any adverse impact on the community while bringing new jobs and investment to our borough.'
Also in Wigan, the village of Lowton is being consulted over ominous plans to build 17 supersheds which could reach 30 metres in height.
Developer Tritax Big Box are planning to use the space to 'deliver a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange' and 767,000 sqm of warehouses.
A spokesperson for Tritax said: 'Local residents can be reassured that we take concerns about potential impacts extremely seriously.
'ILP North is being designed to take advantage of the site's location next to the West Coast Mainline, prioritising freight by rail to cut HGV movements.
'We have an ambitious timeline to deliver this much-needed strategic rail freight interchange to help meet the UK Government's rail freight growth targets, unlock congestion on the wider railway network and drive the shift of freight from road to rail - creating thousands of jobs for the region in the process.
A warehouse seen between two homes in St Peter, Suffolk. Estate agents have consistently warned that the arrival of mega-sheds takes a hammer to house prices
'Our current consultation is open until 11:59pm on Tuesday 23 December so there is still time to provide feedback on the draft proposals.'
A cluster of warehouses has also been touted for the Northern Gateway in Greater Manchester, potentially packing in 11.5 million sq ft of the supersheds.
A partnership between developers Russell LDP and Harworth Group was revealed as being the impetus behind the scheme in January, with a link road already complete to provide access to the vast site.
In Northamptonshire, the Save Titchmarsh and Upper Nene Countryside and Habitats (STAUNCH) campaign is aiming to stop developers' plans to build logistic centres and huge warehouses on two sites, each more than 140 acres in size.
The councils and developers involved in the projects were all approached for comment.
