A NEW groundwater pumping station is needed to prevent one of the Netherhampton Road developments from becoming “financially unviable”.

The development is the Chapel Gate site which will eventually comprise 106 homes. It is on the right-hand side of Netherhampton Road as you leave Harnham heading towards Netherhampton village.

The existing application allowed for a gravity fall drainage solution to a pumping station in the south western corner, after which the foul drainage would be pumped into the main sewer network.

The letter from Countryside Partnerships to Wiltshire Council says the necessity of the proposed change became apparent during the site commencement “as it has become evident that the site is experiencing extremely high groundwater level and flow rate.”

It adds: “The consented drainage scheme could potentially only be delivered through a process of small sections of drainage being delivered at a time, and on the assumption that a way of dealing with the extracted water volumes could be agreed.

“To deliver the current drainage design would have drastic impact on delivery timescales and costs, resulting in the scheme becoming financially unviable.”

The current drainage design has most of the drainage and pumping station located below the level where ground water is being experienced.

A solution has been prepared to reduce the amount of deep drainage relocating the pumping station in the centre of the site. Planners say this would reduce the amount of excavation below the ground water table level.

Independent city councillor for Harnham West Annie Riddle said: “No-one can say the builders and Wiltshire Council weren’t warned about groundwater.

“You have only to look on Wiltshire’s website for the original planning application back in 2021 to see objection after objection based on local people’s experience.

“The countryside charity CPRE wrote: “The entire site is waterlogged for prolonged periods most winters.”

“Such evidence was described in the officer’s report to the strategic planning committee – none of whom come from Salisbury - as ‘colloquial’.

“All that seemed to matter was what the Environment Agency said. Officialdom doesn’t always know best.”

Vistry Homes and the Environment Agency were both contacted by the Journal for more information but neither replied at the time of going to print.

To view the plans go to development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/ and search PL/2023/05286.