WORK on a housing development in Sherston has been on hold for the past month because of neighbours’ complaints that the new properties will be too high and could cause flooding.

Residents in Easton Square were so alarmed when they spotted a surveyor marking out a new ground level around a metre higher than the existing level that they alerted Wiltshire Council planners who issued a stop notice.

The eight-home development is by housing association GreenSquare who this week met locals to hear their concerns.

As well as privacy problems neighbours fear houses on the raised section at the rear of the site could cause flooding in surrounding gardens and suggested the raised ground was in breach of planning permission.

In a statement they said: “If the proposed raising of the ground level had been presented at the planning application stage then proper consideration and review could have and would have taken place. So why was there no mention of this at the planning stage?”

Jo Curson, head of development at GreenSquare, insisted: “We were surprised when the temporary stop order was served and do not accept that the site works were in breach of the planning permission granted for this development.”

“However, we are now working with Wiltshire Council to address the concerns expressed by neighbouring residents and to find an acceptable way forward, to ensure that these much-needed new homes can be built in the village.”

One of the residents, John Harris said: “We take a pragmatic view that there will be houses there, we are only asking for a commonsense solution.”

And following a site meeting with representatives of the association on Tuesday Mr Harris told the Standard there were hopes a reasonable compromise could be reached.

“They have listened to our concerns,” he said. “And they are making some sort of recognition to us.”

The development, which had the support of the parish council, was granted permission in November last year.