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A “Gigantic Mega-Shed” Build

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.