Neighbours say a Wirral business which expanded without planning permission has turned their lives into a ‘nightmare’ by keeping them awake at night and blocking the street.

Several residents in Castle Street, Birkenhead, have complained about their experience of living near the base of PD Foods, a food wholesaler.

The company has been operating out of two detached properties at the end of the street for over 30 years but has expanded in the last few years, with residents saying the expansion has brought misery.

The company built extensions to the rear of both properties without planning permission and will be forced to demolish them unless PD Foods can appeal Wirral Council’s decision to refuse its retrospective application.

Those who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) wanted to remain anonymous.

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One woman, who lives in Castle Street, described the terrible impact the business has had on her life.

She said an industrial fan operated by PD Foods consistently wakes her and her son up during the night, and said: “We are no longer able to open a window during the night at all due to the noise. I have not slept for a full night for the last year or more.”

The constant noise meant her child was unable to do school work at home.

As well as the noise made by fans, she said: “The trolleys and pallets are dropped from the vans at a height enough to reverberate at least three quarters of the way down the street.”

The company’s impact on street safety was also an issue.

The resident added: “There are no loading bays and the business is loading for at least 10 hours a day. It is not safe anymore to walk down the street.

“Residents are forced to dismount the pavements to walk around the boxes, fork lift trucks and vehicles in order to get past, this often means pedestrians have their back to the traffic coming down the road.”

She said this put pedestrians, including disabled people, mothers with pushchairs and children at risk.

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The Castle Street resident said PD Foods was affecting her ability to get her child to school on time: “Before the lockdown rules applied the congestion in the road was affecting our ability to be punctual for school.

“We have to sit and wait whilst the business loads and unloads, with no apparent care that the traffic flow of a one way street was building up.”

She said the business spreads at least a quarter of the way down Castle Street, and its noise and traffic impact have made her think about leaving the area.

However, while she feels Wirral Council has been slow to act thus far, she thinks the local authority can sort the situation out.

Wirral Council is working with PD Foods to solve the issue as it is a well-established company and makes an important contribution to the local economy.

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Yet the council must also enforce its planning rules, meaning the threat of extensions being demolished still hangs over the company.

That enforcement process could take months or even years.

A number of other Castle Street residents had gripes with PD Foods.

One person said: “They are discourteous to neighbours and plainly rude to residents who don’t want to live in a business park when we are in a residential street.

“They make a phenomenal racket from early morning to evening time and neighbours have to endure the constant noise of refrigeration fans that operate 24 hours a day.”

They said Castle Street is a residential area and thought PD Foods were running a business “on the cheap at other people’s cost”.

A further resident concurred that the noise was “a nightmare” and PD Foods’ unloading practices did sometimes block up the road.

Residents have gained the support of Cllr Pat Cleary, who represents Birkenhead and Tranmere for the Green Party.

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Cllr Cleary said: “[PD Foods have been] making life a misery for residents in and around Castle Street, Birkenhead for nearly two years.

“The problems started when they expanded the business and, as you can see, are regularly colonising the entire street.”

Cllr Cleary thought the council’s parking enforcement had been far too lax to address what he called “clear highway dangers” caused by PD Foods’ operation.

Cllr Cleary said: “PD Foods has failed to speak with local residents and has, quite frankly, treated them with contempt.

“Basically this is an industrial operation operating out of a narrow Victorian terraced street. It’s completely unacceptable.”

Photy Demetrios, managing director of PD Foods, rejected the criticism of his business.

Despite residents claiming activity is going on throughout the day, he said PD Foods only operates out of Castle Street for around three hours in the morning, between 8am and 11am.

On the noise issue, he said there was a problem with fans used by the firm, but this has been solved and Wirral Council is satisfied that PD Foods operates within noise limits.

Mr Demetrios said the complaints come from a very small number of residents and a local councillor but that most neighbours who live near PD Foods have no problem with the business.

He said that he has discussed moving to an industrial site with Wirral Chamber of Commerce but said the company cannot afford to fund the move itself.

A spokesperson for Wirral Council said: “This is a very complex ongoing situation, involving a range of different council teams and other organisations.

“Essentially, it has stemmed from the success of a well-established local business and their need to expand, but clearly there has to be a balance between supporting a local business and protecting the interests of neighbours and their quality of life.

“We have worked with the company to address issues around noise and we have also dealt with a number of issues through the planning process, as well as investigating complaints about parking and other highway-related matters.

“We have also been working with the company and the Chamber of Commerce to identify potential alternative premises for their operation, but that has not yet been successful.”

A spokesperson from the Wirral Chamber of Commerce said they have been trying to find an alternative site in Birkenhead.

They said: “This has been difficult as a result of there being a lack of high quality, manufacturing and production space in the area.

“We are of course working closely with Wirral Borough Council to address this as part of the wider regeneration agenda for Birkenhead and have been impressed with the innovation and commitment from the council to resolve this issue.”