I’VE got an idea. It was inspired by Sainsbury’s brilliant plan for a superstore and petrol station off the Southampton Road.

Previously I was inclined to agree with those who protested against yet more flood plain being developed and yet more traffic congestion being created for the sake of a new “retail opportunity”. Now I see that they’re just a bunch of killjoys.

We don’t need to worry that the proposed superstore’s car park has been designed to flood.

Sploshing about in the puddles will provide harmless fun for customers’ children as their parents queue at the checkouts to collect their Nectar points.

The store itself will stay nice and dry overhead, fed by an elevated service yard ramp designed (and I quote from the planning documents) “specifically to ensure that the store can take deliveries during a flood”.

Meanwhile, instead of grubbing about for a living in “unmanaged” countryside (Heaven forbid!), the local wildlife will be luxuriating in a swanky new wetland reserve, conveniently “doubling up as flood attenuation” which we are assured will be “mutually beneficial” to foodstore and frogs.

Sainsbury’s, according to a recent Journal report, has been “liaising” with Wiltshire Council in preparing its application. So there can’t really be anything to worry about, can there?

But back to my idea. Here it is.

Why stop at one superstore? What about consumer choice? Why not half a dozen? In my mind’s eye, I can picture a Morrison’s a couple of hundred metres further along towards Alderbury. And just to balance things up on the other side of the road, what about an Asda just past Hughenden Manor?

Who knows? Maybe Waitrose or Marks & Spencer could be persuaded to develop a couple of those shops-within-a-service-station a few hundred metres further out on either side of the dual carriageway.

With an Aldi and a Costco close by, naturally, to ensure a range of goods to suit all pockets.

Each with their own set of traffic lights, of course.

Just think of all the infrastructure improvements that lot could pay for.

A six-lane ring road, maybe? A few houses might need demolishing along the way, but that would be a small price to pay for a revitalised ‘Southern Gateway’ to this great city.

And we’d hardly need to visit the centre of Salisbury at all. That’s the parking problem solved at a stroke.