Mohammed moved into his property two months ago but has been dismayed about the sudden appearance of a giant cold storage unit next to his home
Nechells in Birmingham on May 15 2025 where a large warehouse unit is being erected near to the Wing Yip Chinese supermarket
A Birmingham dad-of-three has spoken of his regret at buying a city home after witnessing work starting on a huge warehouse next door just weeks later.
Mohammed Khurshid, aged 42, purchased a £290,000 home on Showells Gardens in Nechells in March this year – but was dismayed when construction began on Wing Yip’s cold storage unit three weeks ago.
The taxi driver is among several residents who are complaining about the sudden appearance of the 2,838sqm facility, which will act as a giant refrigerator.
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He said: “When I sit in my garden or look out the window, I just see that building, that is it. Nothing else.”
Mr Khurshid said he paid “over the price” for the five-bedroom detached home and moved in two months ago.
Nechells in Birmingham on May 15 2025 where a large warehouse unit is being erected near to the Wing Yip Chinese supermarket
However he was unaware that the warehouse – which stands at 65m (20ft) high – would begin rising from the ground soon after purchase.
Had he known this would be the case, Mr Khurshid said he would not have moved here.
When he first arrived, Mr Khurshid said ground work was taking place but “no one knew what was going to happen”.
“It wasn’t there when I moved in, there has been some groundwork,” he said.
“No one knew what was going to happen there. There was some groundwork when I moved.
“If I knew this was going to happen there, I wouldn’t have bought the house.”
Mohammed Khurshid
At present, the skeleton of the building has been erected – but Mr Khurshid said work on the structure is moving forwards at a pace.
He added: “There was a warehouse on the site before, it was quite low, but this one is quite high.
“Effectively, it is blocking the sunlight, it is a high building. We didn’t know it was going to be that high.”
Plans were officially submitted by the UK’s largest Chinese supermarket and approved by Birmingham City Council in 2022. Wing Yip already has units based in Railway Terrace, across the road from Showells Gardens.
Other residents have complained they had ‘only received one letter’ about the mammoth development.
Imran Shaban, a 40-year-old dad, said: “They said in the one and only letter they sent us that it was going to be an indoor refrigerator- so it’s basically a giant fridge dwarfing our homes.
“There’s only my garden and then a railway line separating us from it, looking out my window it just looms over the house.”
He added: “During the building work there’s been a lot of dirt ending up on my car and my windows.”
Imran Shaban in his garden. Nechells in Birmingham on May 15 2025 where a large warehouse unit is being erected near to the Wing Yip Chinese supermarket
Another local resident Arfan Shaban, 41, who works in financial services, said: “It really stands out – its disproportionate in size to anything else in the area.”
While Margaret Miah, 77, who has lived there for over four decades, said: “At first it was just the groundwork but now we sit and watch it growing every day.”
She added: “I think it would have been fair to have some sort of consultation or a meeting so they could discuss their plans with us.”
Wing Yip said said it conducted a two-week public consultation on the plans before a planning application was submitted in March 2022.
This was followed by the council’s own statutory consultation in May of that year, a spokesperson for the company said, before it received approval in December 2022.
A Wing Yip spokesperson said: “As a direct result of this public engagement process, the proposed height of the new building was reduced by 20%, while other resident concerns regarding noise and highway access were also addressed.
“Members of the public were able to respond to the plans all the way up to its determination by Birmingham City Council’s planning committee in December 2022, when the plans were approved.
Nechells in Birmingham on May 15 2025 where a large warehouse unit is being erected near to the Wing Yip Chinese supermarket
“Construction of the building is now underway according to the designs approved by the city council.
“As part of the construction process, we appreciate the recent exceptionally dry weather has caused some dust management issues and an urgent review is underway to identify any measures that be taken to mitigate this.
“Two and half years on from receiving planning permission, the business is excited to be making progress towards delivering the economic and social benefits that were promised by these plans.”
In the planning report, Birmingham council officer Carl Brace noted concerns raised by local residents that the building will be considered an “eyesore”.
He wrote: “”The concerns of the neighbours are noted, however, as detailed above the new building will be 45m from their houses and although they will be able to see the building it will not cause any overlooking or loss of amenity.
“The positive economic benefits arising from the scheme are considered to be significant and will include direct economic betterment.
“On the basis of the scale and nature of the development I attach significant weight to these benefits.”