Key facts
- Whistl is seeking a licence to increase HGVs at the Astley site from 40 to 50 and trailers from 60 to 70.
- Burnham wrote in February to the transport commissioner's office opposing Whistl's plans, the Guardian reported.
- Residents told the inquiry of anxiety, sleep deprivation and depression from noise and light.
- Acoustics expert James Healey said he had never seen planning approval for such a noisy warehouse so close to homes.
- Whistl volunteered in September to pause overnight operations between midnight and 6am and introduced quieter electric vehicles.
- The warehouse was approved by Wigan council in 2024 after a planning application by PLP, part-owned by Peel Group.
Andy Burnham raised safety concerns about dozens of lorries leaving a "monster" warehouse near a primary school because there was "no safe crossing" for children, a public inquiry heard on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The inquiry, at the Brick Community Stadium in Wigan, is examining the 18-metre-high "megashed" in the village of Astley, Greater Manchester.
A deputy transport commissioner, John Baker, launched an environmental public inquiry after local opposition to the round-the-clock operation by logistics company Whistl. Whistl is asking for a licence to increase its number of HGVs at the site from 40 to 50 and the number of trailers from 60 to 70.
Residents told the inquiry that granting the licence would worsen the "catastrophic" impact on those living nearby, with some left suffering with anxiety, sleep deprivation and depression. The inquiry also heard that shortly before he became prime minister, Burnham wrote in February to the transport commissioner's office to oppose Whistl's plans. In the letter, which was not shown at the inquiry but has been seen by the Guardian, the then Greater Manchester mayor expressed concerns about the route taken by dozens of HGVs to access the 17-acre site near his Makerfield constituency. Burnham said schoolchildren would be forced to share the road with huge lorries "despite there being no pedestrian crossings, no lollipop service, no traffic calming and sections where the pavement is extremely narrow or ends entirely".
John Peters, who co-founded the Astley Warehouse Action Group, told the inquiry that it was a recipe for disaster, adding: "I hope I never have to say I told you so". David Gerrard, a builder who lives opposite the site, said his house has lost an estimated £170,000 worth of its value as a result of the disruption and that he recently counted 113 wagons over a seven-hour period from 5.30am. James Healey, a leading acoustics expert commissioned by the residents, said he had never before seen planning approval given to such a noisy warehouse so close to people's homes, and his report concluded that those living closest to the site faced "severe health risks" from the excessive noise.
In September, Whistl volunteered to pause overnight operations between midnight and 6am and introduced quieter electric vehicles. Giving evidence, Whistl executives conceded that they might not have chosen the site had they known the level of concern it would cause. Patrick Sadd, Whistl's barrister, said the company accepted the "extremely moving" evidence and that the impact on some residents had been "far-reaching". He said the company deserved credit for working "tirelessly" to find a solution and would continue to do so, including exploring the possibility of erecting sound-insulating structures.
The Whistl warehouse, which was named Britain's joint-worst new building earlier this year, was approved by Wigan council in 2024 after a planning application by PLP, a firm part-owned by Peel Group, one of Britain's biggest landowners and run by the billionaire John Whittaker. The outcome of the inquiry, expected in early December, is seen as a test case of how local groups could challenge similar large industrial developments across Britain.