ALTONÕS biggest eyesore has been nominated in a campaign to find BritainÕs Most Wasted Space.

BBC Radio 4Õs Today programme has teamed up with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) to highlight the scandal of 70,000 hectares of derelict and vacant land across England and Wales - an area the size of Greater London Ð and has been inviting listeners to nominate blots on their local communities.

Alton Town Council, which coordinates the ongoing Alton in Bloom campaign and constantly works to improve the appearance of the town, felt that the former gas works site in Butts Road met the criteria admirably.

Town mayor and councillor for the ward, Pam Jones, said: ÒAs a town we are gradually losing the big eyesores which despoil our otherwise attractive town. In recent years many previously shabby sites have been attractively developed to enhance Alton and this site not only ruins an otherwise fairly attractive entrance into the town, but is literally a waste of space when surrounding open countryside is under so much pressure from house developers.Ó

She added: ÒWhile to win the award for BritainÕs Most Wasted Space would not be an award the town would be proud of, it all helps highlight the scandal of these sites lying idle and hopefully brings their removal a little closer.Ó

According to CABE, much of the derelict land around Britain is in the hands of developers and local authorities. In many cases the local community has strong feelings about how the land should be used.

Greg Burt, who is clerk to the town councilÕs planning committee, explained that the much of the problem in developing the gas works site appeared to stem from the fact that its ownership is split between a developer who owns the former Motorway Tyres land and Transco which owns the remainder.

ÒWhile Transco needs to retain the rear and a narrow strip to the side where gas pipes and plant are still in situ, it appears to have retained a large, square piece of land fronting Butts Road - containing no gas infrastructure - which is hindering the developersÕ portion of the land because they cannot provide adequate highway splays onto Butts Road needed to gain approval for a development,Ó said Mr Burt.

ÒSeveral schemes for social/affordable housing have come before us, but none of them have reached approval stage, and thus the site continues to deteriorate and the local community suffers.

ÒWhile more open space would always be welcome, in this particular instance a housing development is likely to be the only viable use, given the need to generate funds to remove any contamination on the site from its days as a gas works.Ó

Some of the nominations for BritainÕs Most Wasted Space title will be featured on BBC Radio 4Õs You and Yours programme in the coming weeks and the winner will be announced in a monthÕs time on the Today programme.