A COUNCILLOR has reignited concerns over flooding at a new housing development in Salisbury after dramatic footage of floodwater went viral following Storm Chandra.

Cllr Brian Dalton for West Harnham shared a video showing severe flooding at the development on Netherhampton Road, which has been viewed more than 25,000 times on social media.

The footage prompted a wave of comments from residents, many saying they had warned the site would flood long before building work began.

Cllr Dalton said he raised the issue during the planning process, alongside the then local councillor and the chair of Netherhampton Parish Council.

“At the planning committee. I, along with the then local councillor for this area spoke about flooding,” he said.

“The chair of Netherhampton parish council also spoke about flooding. By tarmacking a sloped field, the rain would just run downhill onto the main road as it would no longer soak into the ground.”

He said the problems now being seen were entirely predictable and linked directly to the loss of permeable land.

“The field was a permeable surface and rain, however hard or prolonged would soak through slowly and make its way into whatever drainage system, road or ground,” he said.

“Construction here has caused this without question. It never flooded here in the past.”

Cllr Dalton said the only other flooding he could recall on the stretch of road was more than two miles away, near the Saxon Road traffic lights.

“Either the drains have not been connected, are blocked up, or will not cope,” he added.

Following Storm Chandra, residents also took to social media to share images and videos of standing water, echoing claims that warnings had been ignored before permission was granted.

A clip from Cllr Dalton’s viral video.

Cllr Dalton said he has now questioned whether the developer has complied with planning conditions relating to drainage.

“Did the developer conform to their conditions of the application? Condition 39 is exactly on surface water. I have asked the planning officer about this,” he said.

He warned that fixing the problem could cause further disruption.

“God forbid they now must dig the road up and connect or install new drains and cause yet more tailbacks and traffic lights hell. We’ve had this since development commenced, non-stop!”

Wiltshire Council said flood risk had been a major consideration when the scheme was approved and that drainage plans had been thoroughly assessed.

Cllr Adrian Foster, cabinet member for strategic planning, development management and housing, said: “Flood risk and surface water management were key considerations when the planning application for the Netherhampton Road development (19/05824/OUT) was assessed.

“The applicant’s drainage assessments were reviewed by the Environment Agency and the council’s own drainage engineers, all of whom were satisfied with the proposed solution.

“Councillors also required detailed drainage designs to be submitted and approved before work progressed, and these have since been agreed.”

He added that the council is now investigating the flooding incident with the developer.

“We are aware of the recent surface water flooding during exceptionally heavy rainfall and are investigating the incident with the developer, Vistry to investigate why this occurred and to identify what actions are needed to prevent a reoccurrence,” he said.

“As the developer is building out the site, they are responsible for the drainage on it and addressing any impact arising from it.”

A spokesperson for Vistry said they would provide a statement on the situation.