Community Spirit

ENGLAND Giant data centre in 'progressive' Burnham's territory causing headaches. Residents of Astley in Greater Manchester will tell public inquiry next week of ‘cacophony’ of noise causing sleep deprivation and depression When Stephen Retford retired from the police in 2006, he looked forward to a quiet life after nearly three decades catching villains. But now the former detective has landed another big case – one that is extremely close to home. “It’s the total injustice of it,” the 70-year-old seethed, staring up at the 18-metre-high mega-warehouse that looms over the quiet village of Astley in Greater Manchester. Residents are up in arms about the “monster” construction, likening it to having a “cruise ship in our back garden”. PM Andy Burnham expressed concern over the development weeks before he became prime minister, and Bev Craig, his successor as Greater Manchester mayor, said she too was concerned. “Old industry wouldn’t have got that close to your house,” she said. “So why is it that new industry can?” This week, villagers will attempt to block plans by Whistl, the distribution firm that operates the warehouse, to use dozens of HGVs and trailers for its round-the-clock operation. In a two-day public inquiry, they will describe how the “cacophony” of noise is already driving some to sleep deprivation and depression. “It’s had a profound impact on our neighbourhood,” said Retford, who after so many years in the police is not easily shaken. “The noise wakes you up at 2am and you can’t get back to sleep. We’ve not had a proper night’s sleep in well over a year. It’s a living hell.” This once-quiet village is now on the frontline in a nationwide fightback against superstructures springing up everywhere from Devon to Cardiff and the Scottish Borders. Plans were announced last week for Britain’s largest datacentre at the site of the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire, and a further 315 “hyperscale” datacentres are queueing to connect to the National Grid. Down the road from Retford’s house, a woman looked out of her daughter’s bedroom window at the Whistl warehouse just metres away. The woman, a police officer who does not want to be named, said her 10-year-old son, who is autistic, refused to play in the garden because of the “continuously whirring” noise of the conveyor belts. Her eight-year-old daughter has become too scared to play in her bedroom. “As soon as she comes home from school, those blinds will be shut because she doesn’t want anyone to see in,” she said, pointing to a CCTV camera on the warehouse facing their home. “She hates it. She does get scared about it.” Photo: Christopher Thomond