Whistl has agreed to cease overnight transport operations at its Tyldesley warehouse between midnight and 6am from September 7, after residents living nearby complained of night-time noise. The Astley Warehouse Action Group said the change would provide 'six hours of guaranteed respite' but added that 'this isn't job done'.
Warehouse operations and resident complaints
In July, logistics firm Whistl began round-the-clock operations at the 'cruise ship' warehouse complex in Astley Business Park, a Peel Land (PLP) development that has faced issues since construction started more than a year ago. Some homes are just 30 metres from the site.
Since 24-hour operations began, including numerous HGV movements, nearby households have reported noise problems, with some complaining of sleep disturbance, banging and a background hum. The Astley Warehouse Action Group recently commissioned a noise report which claimed levels were above thresholds. It said 'residents have been woken throughout the night since Whistl opened'.
Whistl's response and measures
Whistl acknowledged 'that our operations at PLP Astley have had an impact on nearby residents, particularly in relation to night-time noise' and said 'we take those concerns very seriously'. A spokesperson said: 'Following a meeting between the Astley Warehouse Action Group, Wigan Council, and Whistl, the residents have agreed to our proposal to cease night-time transport operations in and from the yard from September 7 while we work on measures to reduce noise from our operations below the appropriate threshold.'
Other measures include using quieter on-site vehicles such as shunt units to move trailers around, preventing fuel tankers from accessing the site at night, and attempting to ensure activity takes place as far from residents as possible. The processing of mail and parcels will continue within the depot.
Residents' response and next steps
A spokesperson for the Astley Warehouse Action Group said: 'This is a big change. Six hours of guaranteed respite will make some difference. Whistl's statement now publicly acknowledges that their operations are impacting residents, particularly through night-time noise. They've also described the independent noise report that was released by Murray Acoustics two weeks ago as a 'quality piece of work' and accepted there is a real issue. But this isn't job done, the recognised UK night-time period is 11pm – 7am and Whistl's own figures show movements increasing significantly immediately before and after the six-hour shut-down. We'll keep monitoring and pushing for more restrictions.'
Whistl said it will continue to meet the action group 'to review progress on these actions, working in collaboration to determine whether they are having the desired effect of reducing the night-time noise and the disruption Astley residents have experienced'. The group added: 'For 18 months we've been warning what would happen when these warehouses became operational. Now it's happened and the evidence backs us up.'
