Did you know that there is currently a proposal to build 200 houses on the large green field between New Odiham Road and Brick Kiln Lane. You have doubtless appreciated the open vista that this hill provides just as you leave Alton on the Basingstoke Road. You may know it from walking on the path that crosses the field diagonally from the end of Greenfields to Brick Kiln Lane. You may have paused and looked back at the view over Alton that this elevation provides.

We could lose this for ever if plans to build 200 houses are approved.

There are many other sites for potential development for housing. However, they are not green. A green field provides a blank slate. Town sites are less profitable for the builders because they entail removing asphalt or other substrate and greater constraints on constructions. Because of this, Alton could lose a beautiful natural asset, an integral part of the rural boundary that surrounds the town, and an uplifting and vital relief from the townscape. If we do not fight to maintain this pastoral land outside our town, Alton will become just another sprawling urban conurbation.