FUMING residents fear plans submitted by Freddie Flintoff’s building firm will turn their village into a “monstrosity” and cost them £150k.
Disgruntled locals have lodged 487 objections against proposals by Logik Developments – which lists the cricketing star as a director – for a series of new builds in Samlesbury, Lancashire.
GettyFreddie Flintoff is a director at Logik Developments[/caption]
Logik Developments have set out designs for a number of industrial units
The company’s planning application sets out designs for a number of industrial units, a hotel and retail outlets, all of which will be built on grassland fields.
And it says development, named the ‘Cuerdale Employment Sites’, will generate 2,267 jobs and add value to the local area of £122m per year.
But some hacked-off homeowners feel part of the “dominating” development will look like an “Amazon distribution warehouse centre”.
While others believe the the 27.92 hectares proposal alone have made their properties “unsellable”.
Nigel Dixon, 61, who has lived in Samlesbury for 20 years, said part of the proposed development will back onto his 1850 farmhouse.
And he says the plans to turn the grassy field into a building site have already caused him to lose out on the sale of his home after he cut the price.
He said: “This is a monstrosity that’s been proposed here.
“We don’t want this, it’s like an aircraft hangar size, like an Amazon distribution warehouse centre, and it will be visible everywhere in Samlesbury, it’s literally going to be built on the highest points in Samlesbury and it’ll be the highest building so it will just dominate the whole countryside.
“The other side of our fence is the field and there’s five trees that will all have to be chopped down.
“These are 150-year-old trees, and that’s been in the press lately, people chopping trees down… [It is] devastation that all this agricultural land will be swapped for a massive distribution warehouse.
“Our properties [are] now unsellable and it’s caused us nothing but grief… Ask Mr Flintoff if he’d like it built in his back garden?”
Nigel continued: “We were trying to sell our house at the beginning of the year and when this application was submitted, we had to notify anybody who viewed the house.
“We then had to drastically reduce the price of the house because of it and we eventually did get an offer, which we accepted.
“I mean, it was, like £150,000 below what it had been valued at.
“But because the people knew about the planning application, they then got their own artist impression of what it would look like behind and then they just pulled out.”
It comes after Flintoff, 45, was badly injured while filming Top Gear at the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey last December.
He was driving a three-wheel, open-topped, 130mph Morgan Super 3 when it flipped and slid along a track while filming with Top Gear.
The England cricket legend was pictured with facial injuries for the first time in September while assisting the the England men’s cricket team ahead of their one-day series against New Zealand.
Flintoff also continued in a flexible role with the team before their game against Ireland last month.
The “brave” star then presented cricketer Tom Hartley with his cap for the England Cricket team.
In the proposal’s executive statement, the developers said: “The site forms part of a large wider strategic vision for a garden village and major growth area in this location with significant investment envisioned in Samlesbury.
“It was announced in October 2021 that the National Cyber Force campus will be located in Samlesbury, which brings a requirement for significant employment space to cater for the campus.
“By providing flexible employment floorspace, the Cuerdale Employment Sites will help Central Lancashire to realise its economic prosperity goals in emerging high value- added sectors.”
Local residents have already set up an action group on Facebook called Stop Cuerdale Garden Village Action Group, which works to oppose developments like this on their green land.
This group was set up following another proposal in the town by Story Homes called the ‘Cuerdale Garden Village’ which hopes to build 1,300-homes.
If the Cuerdale Employment site planning application is successful, Logik Developments hopes to start work in Autumn 2025.
Freddie Flintoff’s representatives and Logik Developments have been approached for comment.
Locals are not happy at what the plans are for the grassy fields
Some residents fear it will look like an “Amazon distribution warehouse centre”.
Nigel was one resident who said he lost £150k in his home sale Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
