Ahead of the crunch decision on whether to approve plans for four warehouses at Basingstoke Gateway next week, the residents of three cottages directly opposite the site have written an open letter to the developer.

Four warehouses are planned for land at Oakdown Farm, near Junction 7 of the M3. Just 22 metres away lies Ganderdown Cottages, home to three families who will be most impacted of all.

The families say they are in a "unique" position because of the plans to build the warehouse development. They shared their story with The Gazette in January, saying their once peaceful rural homes are now unsellable because of the planning applications.

Plans for Basingstoke Gateway are due to be decided at a special development control meeting on Wednesday.

The letter reads:

Dear Developer,

For the best part of a year, we have watched, listened and participated in the many arguments for and against your proposed development of Oakdown Farm - bringing to Basingstoke a Distribution Hub of huge proportions.

There are extremely valid arguments against the huge impact to the environment, biodiversity, landscape and road accessibility, however it is without a doubt a large investment into the town and creates jobs in these difficult times, albeit questionable as to how much influence Newlands UK will ever have over the quality and quantity of those jobs, or even as to whether they will be resourced by the local people of Basingstoke.

Our objections to this proposal are somewhat unique and throughout this past year we have spent many hours and sleepless nights trying to get you to acknowledge how catastrophic the impact of this development is to our homes, health and wellbeing.

From the very beginning of being omitted from the required Environmental Impact Assessment (whether by design or not), we have tried to negotiate an outcome with you for the 3 families living directly opposite and within 22 metres of the site. An outcome that does not see us forced to sacrifice everything we have spent our whole lives building and paying for, to be plagued with significant noise 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, pollution from an estimated 800 HGV's daily within less than 10 metres from our front doors putting the health of our children and grandchildren at risk, and being forced to live behind a huge ugly acoustic fence.

From our point of view, why should the ‘perceived’ benefit of job creation be at our cost and to the benefit of your profit margin?

We have been consciously ignored, ridiculed by 'trolls', called NIMBY's and been told to move by those ignorant to the situation we find ourselves in.

We have had judgement passed upon us for simply wanting to protect our basic human right to the enjoyment of our homes and gardens, the right to be able to plan for our retirement without experiencing significant financial losses, the right to a good night's sleep.

Decisions have been made without considering us as human beings, simply as barriers that need addressing.

We are only 3 families without the huge financial backing of South African or such like investors, and suspect that is why it is acceptable for you to pretend we don’t exist and tick all the right boxes for your application.

Residents of Ganderdown cottages