A sewer that serves a growing south of Butser village is no longer fit for purpose amid plans for more housing according to one resident.

Villagers have expressed concerns over plans that could see another 180 homes around Clanfield and north Horndean at a Clanfield & Horndean Downs Surgery meeting on Tuesday (March 5) where the draft EHDC Local Plan was the biggest talking point.

The plan – effectively a blueprint for the future of the district – has suggested an additional 100 houses should be built in Clanfield by 2040. The village has seen significant development in recent years, with more than 500 houses being built off Green Lane.

Residents at the Clanfield Centre meeting, organised by councillors John Smart, Chris Tonge and James Hogan, are concerned about the impact of housing on South Meadows as flooding is a regular occurrence on South Lane.

People who attended a Local Plan open day were also unconvinced by claims the flood risk can be mitigated, and fear the current drainage system wouldn’t cope. One resident whose husband laid the Green Lane sewer in the 1960s said she fears the current system is no longer fit for purpose.

Concerns were also raised about a possible development of 80 homes south of Drift Road, and the impact this could have on schools, surgeries and infrastructure.

Villagers have until Friday, March 8, to take part in the EHDC Draft Local Plan consultation, with the next councillors meeting taking place at the same venue on Tuesday, April 2.