Villagers are demanding a halt to controversial housing developments in and around Charminster following ‘the worst flooding in living memory’.
Roads were blocked for several days, homes were flooded and rising waters blighted the parish church for the second time in 12 years.
And incensed residents claim more development will exacerbate flooding further.
About 80 residents attended a public meeting in Charminster to discuss Dorset Council plans, which could result in building as many as 560 houses. They have now formed new action group CHARM (Charminster Against Rural Mass Housing) to fight these development plans.
Nigel Kay, founding member of the action group, said: “Hundreds of new houses on the valley side will inevitably increase run-off of rainwater.
“Recent heavy rainfall has demonstrated that existing storm drains are unable to cope. Further run-off risks aggravating flooding in the heart of the village. The fear is that many older homes will be difficult to insure or sell as a result.”
CHARM chair Rob Goldhawk said: “We cannot afford for others to make decisions on our behalf and sleepwalk into a planning nightmare. This is an opportunity to ensure that Charminster grows in a way that suits the people of our village, not the developers, Dorset Council or central government.”
The scale of development proposals was first revealed in Dorset Council’s draft local plan, published last year.
A plan to extend the Charminster Farm development with another 71 houses on the hillside is currently on the table, along with a further 140 houses on the opposite side of the Cerne Valley.
Another four sites have been earmarked as ‘opportunity sites’ – increasing scope for as many as 560 houses.
Nigel added: “It’s not just flooding that concerns us, but there are serious misgivings about traffic, drainage and the loss of our rural identity.”
The West Dorset Magazine has approached Dorset Council for comment.