A SPECIAL study of re-usable sites in towns and large villages could mean that Alton will take the brunt of East Hampshire's new housing development allocation to the year 2011.

The town's capacity to support a sustainable pattern of development and to release brownfield land for infill development has resulted in a reduction of baseline allocations elsewhere in the district, enabling Petersfield alone to put 330 new homes on the backburner.

The shift of emphasis is in line with government commitment to promote urban regeneration and to increase density to 30 - 50 dwellings to the hectare, in order to minimise development of greenfield land.

All local planning authorities have been directed to undertake urban capacity studies which, in East Hampshire, has resulted in Alton being identified as the prime provider of small, previously developed sites, suitable for infill, redevelopment and conversion.

While the overall capacity for development of these sites is predicted at 700 dwellings district wide, Alton is to provide 264 of them, while Petersfield - the other most sustainable settlement in the district, has returned a figure of just 33.

Medstead and Four Marks show a combined figure of 89, Bentley 35,Lower Farringdon 27 and Ropley Dean 18.

Commenting after last week's meeting of East Hampshire District Council's development policy panel, called to discuss the second draft of the Second Deposit Local Plan, local councillor Patrick Burridge (Alton SW and Beech) pointed out that development of settlements located within an AONB, like Petersfield, have fared better than those outside by a ratio of almost two to one.

The approved Hampshire County Structure Plan Review allocates a baseline figure of 5,500 dwellings to be built in East Hampshire during the plan period (1996 to 2011), plus a further 1,500 on reserve sites, making a total requirement of 7,000.

Of this, 4,873 is made up of houses already built, by outstanding permissions and allocations, by the small site allowance and by unidentified windfall sites . This leaves 627 dwellings to be found by developing larger baseline sites, mainly on previously developed land.

Alton has two baseline sites - the first a five hectare plot for 150 houses on the former Lord Mayor Treloar site, adjacent to the McAlpine site which already has permission for 145 new homes. The second is for 15 dwellings on the 0.5 hectare site at The Depot, London Road, Holybourne.

Four Marks is to provide 150 dwellings on a five hectare site south of Winchester Road, while at Lower Farringdon 0.5 hectares at Farringdon Mill will provide for a further 15.

Petersfield has one baseline allocation, providing 90 houses on a three-hectare greenfield site at Pennsfield, off Heathcote Road.

Under government guideline, PPG3, the emphasis is now on 'plan, monitor and manage'.

However, while under this system reserve sites will be developed as and when needed, Mr Burridge is convinced that they will all be called into play before 2011.

Almost entirely on greenfield land, Alton has two sites - the first 150 houses on 4.9 hectares to the rear of Chandos Lodge and the Grange Hotel, Anstey Road.

That is controversial in that it would serve to close the strategic gap between Alton and Holybourne.

The second is a four-hectare site at Cadnams Farm, Whitedown Lane, which is allocated for 135 houses, bringing with it concerns about development on rising ground on the edge of the town.

Lymington Bottom Road at Medstead has been earmarked for 140 homes on four hectares which, according to local cllr Bryan Timms has raised fears about increased traffic. He insisted that, if developed, a tunnel would have to be installed under the railway bridge to ensure pedestrian safety.

Considered a small but sustainable community, Bentley also has been earmarked for 50 houses on 1.66 hectares of land to the west of Hole Lane, while Binsted is keen to develop a 0.5 hectare site at Clements Close to provide 15 affordable homes for local people.

Petersfield has a large reserve site on land at The Causeway, a former baseline allocation, which will provide 275 houses on a 9.2 hectare greenfield site.

The figures mean that Alton will provide 714 new homes - more than 10 per cent of the total allocation for East Hampshire, with Four Marks and Medstead adding a further 379 to the local figure. Petersfield on the other hand will provide 398.

While the number of settlement policy boundaries has increased from 14 to 47, Patrick Burridge warns against complacency. Those villages with SPBs but with no major allocation will not escape development. "While SPBs will curtail development outside the boundary, inside the presumption is in favour of development.

"Furthermore, potential developers have already been taking aerial photographs with a view to approaching those living within SPBs to subdivide their plots," he said.

East Hampshire District Council is expected to put the latest draft of the Local Plan out for consultation before the end of the year.