Residents in a major British town have been left fuming after being forced to live in the shadow of towering 60ft warehouses that block out their sunlight.
Dozens of industrial units loom over homes, with locals comparing them to the "Berlin Wall".
The structures have dramatically altered the quality of life for those living nearby, with some reporting they've lost up to 80 percent of their sunlight.
Corby has been at the centre of a warehouse-building boom in Northamptonshire, which now has more storage and distribution centres than any other English county.
Residents in Corby, Northamptonshire, are living in the shadow of towering 60ft warehouses that block out their sunlight
Google Street View
The town hosts Europa's worldwide headquarters and Nike's forthcoming logistics campus, alongside numerous other industrial developments.
One of the most controversial developments is Rockingham 161, a 60ft tall structure built on the site of a former Weetabix plant.
The warehouse was approved by North Northamptonshire Council in 2022 after a significant administrative error.
Planning officers consulted residents on Hubble Road about the application, approximately half a mile away from the affected homes on Hooke Close.
MORE LIKE THIS:
The warehouse was approved by North Northamptonshire Council in 2022 after a significant administrative error
Google Street View
Despite this mistake, the council maintained the development was lawful.
Residents challenged the decision, but the High Court rejected their application for a judicial review.
A year after construction, the imposing warehouse remains empty while continuing to cast a shadow over neighbouring properties.
Jose Cruz, 65, who lives next to Rockingham 161, expressed his frustration. He said: "We constantly live in a shadow now it has blocked out about 80 per cent of our sunlight."
"We feel like we're living by the Berlin Wall, that's the most accurate way to describe it, and I don't even think the Berlin Wall was as big as this."
Cruz, who moved into his two-bedroom semi-detached home in 2011, added: "Nobody wanted the warehouse here and nobody even consulted us about it."
The town hosts Nike's forthcoming logistics campus
GETTYAnother resident, who wished to remain anonymous, warned: "We feel like we're living by a prison camp."
"It has just been horrifying, we have been left with this monstrous eyesore towering above us."
The warehouse boom continues across Corby, with residents questioning the necessity of these developments.
"They are throwing up all these giant warehouses and loads of them just lie empty," said one homeowner near the Nike campus construction site.
"You hear about redundancies being made instead, so who is going to fill them all?"
Local residents believe the industrial units are being built in inappropriate locations.
"The UK is not short of space why erect these warehouses in between people's homes? It's just unbelievable," Cruz said.
A council spokesman addressed the Rockingham 161 controversy, saying: "Due to the ongoing legal conversations around costs, it's not possible to comment any further at this stage."
