Residents angry as warehouse built with 1957 order

An "overpowering" warehouse is being built using planning consent granted almost 70 years ago.

Residents and politicians are calling for reforms in the planning process after the 25-metre (82 ft) high warehouse was allowed to go ahead in Pilning near Bristol - despite being approved in 1957.

Resident Nicki Povey said the building's structure, which is half complete, "overpowers" every building in the area and blocks her son's bedroom views.

Developer BGO Wire PropCo Ltd, a real estate leasing company, has been approached for a comment.

Amazon and Tesco distribution centres are also located in the same area, but residents have said this latest "huge" warehouse is a few metres higher and closer to the homes, which makes it appear even bigger.

Claire Young has written to the government about the old planning rules

Residents were not consulted on the plans because developers were able to use a historic interim development order, which was granted to former chemical company ICI in the 50s.

This means when the new application went before South Gloucestershire Council for the site, councillors were only allowed to comment on specific areas such as flooding issues or the design's layout.

Claire Young, the Liberal Democrat MP for Thornbury and Yate, said: "It was ICI who got the planning consent in 1957, which means there's a huge swathe of land here which is allocated for warehousing and it doesn't have the conditions that you would put on a modern planning application."

The warehouse is being built behind houses in Pilning, near Bristol

Ms Young has written to the developer to ask if they can make changes.

"What I'm trying to do [as well] is get the government to look again at these historic interim development orders because they don't give the council the control they would have if this was a fresh planning application," she said.

Her views were echoed by local councillor Simon Johnson who said residents were unhappy with the "size and scale" of the development.

"There's a long track record and history of commercial development down here," he added.

He said previous builds had "worked alongside the residential community" and they had recognised the "benefits".

"It's a real missed opportunity," he added.

Ms Povey said the structure towers above houses.

"We have to have warehouses in the area, but we had no idea it was going to be as tall as that.

"It just overpowers everything, it's just like a giant cloud," she added.

South Gloucestershire councillor Simon Johnson added that the size and scale of the development was negatively impacting residents' lives.