A Merseyside man said plans to build a major industrial estate 'outside his front door' are making him unwell.
Geoff Essex has lived in a bungalow property in Fox's Bank Lane in Whiston for the past 41 years.
The bungalow is next to the site of the former Cronton Colliery, which closed in 1984. The area has remained vacant ever since.
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But now it is set to become the home of a new warehouse development, which is expected to provide around 1,100 jobs.
The warehouse development forms part of the wider Halsnead Garden Village project, which will also see the creation of around 1,600 homes and a country park.
The project has been strongly backed by Knowsley Council.
But Mr Essex, 43, said he believes the former colliery site should never have been built on and that he and others living in the area firmly oppose the council's plans.
He said he has spent around £130,000 on his beloved property over the past decade but feels his life there will be ruined by the huge development nearby.
He told the ECHO: "The council has come along and decided to build a large industrial estate right outside my front door.
"When all this is finished I will be trapped between warehouses on one side and 1,600 homes on the other.
"I really can't cope with this, it is making me ill.
"We are supposed to be living on a country lane here, I would like to see some of the councillors who voted for this come and live next to all this."
Mr Essex also said the development was 'destroying' the natural environment of the site, where 'trees are being ripped out.'
Knowsley Council accepted that there would be a loss of some trees, but said a tree replacement scheme would take place throughout the development along with considerable new tree planting in the new country park.
They said the developer is also providing around £90,000 to mitigate for the loss of trees and in creating new wildlife habitats.
Mr Essex said he could not understand assurances he had been given that the new industrial development would not increase noise in the area.
He said: "How can they say there won't be more noise when a big industrial estate is here compared to now? It's an absolute joke."
A Knowsley Council spokesperson said “Plans for Halsnead Garden Village include a range of new homes, improved green spaces, the creation of a country park, employment land and education and health provision. Importantly, it will also create a significant number of jobs for local people. The development includes the reuse and regeneration of the former Cronton Colliery, which has largely been unused since 1984.
“In 2016, following extensive public consultation, the adoption of Knowsley’s Local Plan saw the land allocated for development purposes, to facilitate the delivery of Halsnead Garden Village.
“Extensive green spaces and the creation of a Country Park are at the heart of the Halsnead Garden Village development.”
The council said Mr Essex had previously raised concerns about the employment element of the Garden Village, which were 'carefully considered'by the council's planning committee last June, when the plans were approved.
A council spokesperson said: "The developer of the employment park is required to comply with 53 planning conditions, several of which are designed to minimise, as much as possible, the development’s impacts during construction on the small number of neighbours living nearby by.
“Impacts on wildlife were examined in detail and extensive surveys were undertaken to establish whether protected species, such as bats, are present. The Planning Committee were satisfied that suitable mitigation is proposed to support future wildlife and wildlife habitats.
“Council officers regularly visit the site and will continue to do so to ensure that the developers fully comply with the details of their planning permissions.
“In addition, Council officers have directly responded to concerns raised by Mr Essex.”
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