Life on the ‘impossible’ estate dominated by warehouses: ‘It’s like sleeping on a motorway service station’

A fter a miserable winter, Stephen Retford thought things were looking up. How wrong he was.

The retired police officer, 70, has lived on the Henfold Estate in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester , for 40 years – moving into this quiet slice of suburbia as soon as it was built.

For almost all of those four decades, the garden of his house backed onto fields and he enjoyed the views over them.

But that came to an abrupt end last year with the construction of the Astley Business Park, made up of four hulking warehouses – up to 60ft tall, on that land, just over his garden fence.

Distraught residents told The Independent of their anger over the construction of the four warehouses, claiming that the process was damaging their homes, while the views from their windows were blocked by the massive structures which now tower over them.

Construction completed in January 2026 and distribution firm Whistl became the first organisation to operate from one of the warehouses, setting up shop last month.

Now, the locals claim that Whistl is working through the night and the noise of its operations, in particular its heavy goods vehicles, in such close proximity to their homes is making their lives a misery.

Mr Retford’s home is directly opposite the firm’s service yard and he says the noise means he cannot sleep.

“The noise is 24/7. It is constant throughout the night”, Mr Retford told The Independent .

“Given the hot weather we've been having, if you have your window open, it's like sleeping on a motorway service station – in the heavy goods vehicle part.”

Mr Retford remains incredibly frustrated that Wigan Council allowed the construction of the warehouses that now tower over his home. But he believes the granting of a licence to Whistl to work overnight has added insult to injury.

“Not only did they build these warehouses right on top of our homes, but they then granted a 24/7 operating certificate for them”, he said.

“If you ever want to crush a community, build them in the first place, and then give the occupants a 24/7 operation permit.”

Mr Retford is part of local action group Astley Warehouse Action, which has brought together residents from the various housing estates surrounding the business park.