PLANS to build a new house in a street that already suffers flooding and sewage problems have been given the go ahead despite residents’ fears it will make the situation worse.

Members of Wiltshire Council’s southern area planning committee felt forced to approve the proposal for a detached property in Duck Street, Steeple Langford, despite concerns raised by the parish council and ward councillor Ian West, because a previous application for the site had already been approved.

Cllr West said worried residents had raised two main issues – the sewage system and the roads. He said it was ‘mind boggling’ that the Highways Agency had raised no objections.

“You should be in Duck Street when everybody returns home, the problems speak for themselves,” he said.

He said the sewage system and flooding on Duck Street are a big problem and that Wessex Water is currently working to try to improve matters.

Cllr West also said the proposal would not maintain or enhance the conservation area and was not good enough for the area – sited between two historic buildings, including a grade II listed thatched cottage.

However, because a previous application, which was not very different from the one now seeking approval, had already been granted, councillors said they were limited in what they could do.

Cllr Graham Wright said: “If this was a first application, I would be minded to refuse it. This is just a minor change and the opportunity to build a quality building that would enhance the village has probably been lost because a permission has already been passed.”

Members of the committee voted eight in favour, two against, but delegated back to officers to negotiate a permeable surface for the drive to try to ensure the new property does not exacerbate problems with flooding.