Residents’ fury at plans by Andrew Flintoff’s building firm to put industrial units, a hotel and retail outlets on grassland fields – which locals fear will turn their village into a ‘monstrosity’ and slash £150k from house prices

• 487 residents have objected to the ‘Cuerdale Development Sites’ in Samlesbury
• Locals fear that the plans alone have devalued their properties in the area

Furious residents fear plans submitted by Andrew Flintoff’s building firm will turn their village into a ‘monstrosity’ – and slash house prices by £150,000.

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.

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 the 27.92 hectares 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’.

Residents have lodged 487 objections against proposals submitted by Freddie Flintoff’s Logik Developments, for several new developments in Samlesbury, Lancashire

A picture of Samlesbury Hall. The ‘Cuerdale Employment Sites’ will include industrial units, a hotel and retail outlets to be built on grassland

But locals have branded the plans a ‘monstrosity’ and say they have made their properties ‘unsellable’

While others believe the proposals alone have made their properties ‘unsellable’ – with one saying: ‘Ask Mr Flintoff if he’d like it built in his back garden?’

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?

‘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.’

Some residents have said the proposed development will give the area the feel of an ‘Amazon warehouse distribution centre’

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.

Logik Developments has been approached for comment.

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