monstrous

FAMILIES living in the shadow of two “humungous” warehouses say the buildings have destroyed their view and devalued their properties.

The colossal steel frames, which residents have likened to cruise ships, are part of a 350,000 sq ft industrial site that is dwarfing homes nearby.

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Residents in Tyldesley, Wigan, described being alarmed by the scale, and some are even considering moving.

Plans from developer PLP show the massive site will eventually be home to four vast warehouses, with the council agreeing to a maximum height of 18.3m (60ft) for two of those buildings.

Delivery giant Whistl has already snapped up one of the huge sheds, signing a 15-year deal on a 140,000 sq ft unit.

A council boss insisted landscaping would help soften the appearance, adding that the project followed proper planning processes.

But residents argued the final approved plans from were far bigger than had been originally designed.

They worried about the effect on property values, arguing there was limited consultation before building started.

John Peters, 71, a retired teacher, has lived on the estate since 1978. He said: “It’s a total shock when you walk out of the door.

“The enormity of the thing just strikes you. It shouldn’t be there.”

He said his dreams of a peaceful retirement were “shattered” by the arrival of the structure so close to his home.

A campaign group has been set up to rally neighbours and fight the development, with more than 200 people in attendance at a recent meeting.

Mr Peters claimed the way residents were informed about the project left many feeling blindsided.

He said: “A letter was sent out to 90 residents, but I don’t know how they selected those residents because some of the people who back onto the site didn’t get anything.

“It was just completely random.”

Paula Boardman, 47, lives with her husband and two kids in a house that backs onto the imposing warehouse.

She said: “It’s quite upsetting, because we used to have such a lovely view.

“We knew this was going to be built, but we thought it was going to be a lot smaller.

“As soon as the framework went up, everyone realised the height of it – it’s humungous. I’m worried it’s going to take all our sunlight.

“It’s like a cruise ship at the back of our garden. Even if we wanted to move, I think the value of the house has gone down.”

She raised concerns about damage in her home that she fears could be related to the warehouse’s size and proximity of construction work.

She said: “I noticed a dip in the flooring back in February and a big crack in the wall.”

Steve Retford, 69, said he no longer sits in the garden because of the structure that stands just 30m away – describing the impact as “profound”.

The retired police officer said: “It’s just dreadful. We feel this sense of injustice.

“I don’t profess to be a planning expert, but when you look at the sheer enormity of this, it’s not right.

“It must have taken tens of thousands of pounds off the value of our houses. Every time I think about it, I feel sick.”

Care worker Danielle Edwards, 38, fears the warehouse could make it difficult to sell her home in the future.

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She said: “It’s awful. We bought this house because we’re a young family wanting to stay in the area.

“It would be very difficult to move. I can see it from my back garden. We thought they were going to be low-rise industrial units, but they’re not.”

Retired project manager Eric Earnshaw, 79, has lived in the Tyldesley area all his life but is now preparing to leave for the Lake District.

The keen dog walker said it’s because he’s had enough of constant building work.

He added: “There are walks that take me along fields in the area where there are plans for thousands of homes.

“All the green space around here is disappearing.”

Aidan Thatcher, director for place at Wigan Council, told The Sun: “This planning application went through our planning consultation and committee process.

“The final plans include landscaping which will help to screen and soften the appearance, and mitigate the impact on nearby properties.

“We will continue to monitor the site throughout construction, ensuring this development bringing new jobs and investment to the area is delivered properly.”

A spokesperson for PLP said they would not comment.

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EVEN though humans have never set foot on Mars, we’ve still got plenty of photos of the red planet.

And if you went by those pics alone, you’d think the Martian surface was littered with mysterious faces, swarms of monstrous spiders, and even alien beings.

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Of course, Mars is just a barren wasteland – only occupied by camera-toting rovers shipped there from Earth.

So why do we see all of these strange faces and figures on Mars?

Well it’s a phenomenon known as pareidolia, which is a human tendency to see patterns when there isn’t one – and it’s often to blame for those bizarre sightings on the red planet.

Here are some of the creepiest “sightings” from our space neighbour, Mars.

CYDONIA ‘FACE ON MARS’

One of the most iconic Martian faces is from the Cydonia region.

The feature was first captured in 1976, revealing a strikingly humanlike formation on the Martian surface.

Early images of the region were snapped by Viking 1 and Viking 2, a pair of Nasa orbiters tasked with imaging Mars.

It’s since been captured in several later photographs, clearly exposing it as an optical illusion.

Sadly it’s not a giant alien face at all – but a massive 1.2-mile-long Cydonian mesa.

The region is known for its flat-topped mesas.

BEAR WE GO

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Forget Stonehenge – what about a giant bear circle?

That’s what was seemingly snapped by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on December 12, 2022.

It looks like the face of an enormous grizzly, but it’s actually just a weird hill, as Nasa explains: “A V-shaped collapse structure makes the nose, two craters form the eyes, and a circular fracture pattern shapes the head.

“The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater.”

LEG IT!

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Several images of what look like terrifyingly large spiders have been captured on Mars.

The first was caught by the European Space Agency‘s (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter in October 2020, and the second was picked up by Nasa’s MRO in May 2018.

Thankfully they’re not spiders at all – but a strange phenomenon called “araneiform terrain”.

“This is an active seasonal process not seen on Earth,” Nasa explained.

“Like dry ice on Earth, the carbon dioxide ice on Mars sublimates as it warms (changes from solid to gas) and the gas becomes trapped below the surface.

“Over time the trapped carbon dioxide gas builds in pressure and is eventually strong enough to break through the ice as a jet that erupts dust.

“The gas is released into the atmosphere and darker dust may be deposited around the vent or transported by winds to produce streaks.

“The loss of the sublimated carbon dioxide leaves behind these spider-like features etched into the surface.”

LIVING ON A PRAYER

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In 2007, Nasa’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured what appeared to be a person kneeling in prayer.

It made headlines around the world when the image was released in early 2008.

The eerie scene was part of a vast panorama of Martian hills taken during the closing months of Spirit’s mission.

Of course, all we’re actually seeing is an interesting rock, and a trick of the light.

GHANDI’S MARTIAN TWIN

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Pictures from Europe‘s Mars Express probe appear to have captured a Ghandi lookalike on Mars.

The Mars Orbiter has been used to pack out the Google Mars project with satellite-style snaps of the red planet.

And in 2011, Italian space fan Matteo Lanneo thought he spotted Ghandi’s likeness on the surface.

Of course, it’s just another classic example of pareidolia, where we’re simply seeing things that aren’t really there.

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MARTIAN DOORWAY

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In mid-2022, Nasa captured what appeared to be a “doorway” into a mound of rock nicknamed ‘East Cliffs’.

The picture of the mound on Mount Sharp was snapped by Nasa’s Curiosity Rover.

Sadly it’s not really a doorway, as Nasa explains: “The mound, on Mount Sharp, has a number of naturally occurring open fractures – including one roughly 12 inches (30 centimeters) tall and 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide, similar in size to a dog door.

“These kinds of open fractures are common in bedrock, both on Earth and on Mars.”

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