Boban John
Wound-up neighbours in a small UK village claim their lives have been ruined by a “gigantic mega shed” development that made them feel as if they were living in a prison camp.
At 147m wide, 300m long and 21m high, the brutal battleship-grey warehouse along Felixstowe Rd, Ipswich in eastern England, is the size of six full-size football pitches and sits just less than 40m from the back gardens of angry residents.
East Suffolk Council approved final plans in 2021, despite 29 letters of objection from locals who argued the development is “fundamentally wrong”.
Referring to the lack of graduated colour scheme, neighbour Dave Ward, 72, likened the mega shed to a “thunderstorm” and claims homeowners can “never see a sunset anymore”.
Sheila Snell, 69, also told The Sun that she’s “shed quite a few tears” over the ordeal and described seeing the warehouse beyond her garden is “like being in a prison camp”.
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![Supplied Real Estate UK mega shed development. Source: The Sun](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The warehouse is 482ft wide and 984ft long – the size of six full-size football pitches. Credit: John McLellan via The Sun.
Dave Ward, 72, in his garden, which is overshadowed by the huge warehouse. Credit: East Anglia News Service via The Sun.
While the warehouse was being built, local residents were unable to open their windows due to the amount of dust, according to The Sun, and one person claimed the vibrations caused by the work killed the bees in his hives.
Sounds from the nearby train line are also said to reverberate off the warehouse.
Amy Richardson, a partner in the planning law team at Ashtons Legal, said the council does appear to have considered the impact on residents but decided it wouldn’t cause sufficient harm.
She added the only possible form of redress could be a “token gesture” of compensation, but an ombudsman would need to lobby on locals’ behalf.
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The giant ‘shed’ off Felixstowe Road in Suffolk. Credit: John McLellan via The Sun.
Residents used to look out over open fields to the rear of their properties. Credit: Google Maps
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East Suffolk Council told The Sun that members of the planning committee had visited the site and neighbouring properties on two occasions, considered the representations received and heard directly from neighbours in the planning committee meetings.
“The planning decision was made in accordance with the development plan and planning legislation,” the council said.
“Anyone with an objection to a planning application has the right to submit their concerns as part of the planning process, within the application period.
“If it was felt that there had been procedural errors in this planning decision, there was an option to request a judicial review within six weeks of the decision date. No judicial review was requested.
“This application was fully and properly assessed in its impact on neighbours, and we do not believe there was any fault in the decision-making process.”
