RESIDENTS visited Alton’s Greenfields amenity land to discuss the future of the site with councillors and officers over a cooling ice cream.

The event, on July 20, marked the launch of a public consultation over the site.

Owned by Alton Town Council, the land was subject to horse fly grazing earlier this year and the town council’s open spaces committee is seeking residents’ views on whether to continue maintaining the site through the grazing of cattle in the summer months.

This would involve replacing fences and the kissing gates which, in the event, failed to prevent unscrupulous owners seeking to illegally deposit animals on the site over the winter.

Alternative options for the site include removing some of the fencing, ensuring the site is secure from vehicular access but not suitable for grazing, leaving the grass long or mowing paths and installing seating, similar to the current arrangement at Windmill Hill in the town.

With the public consultation under way, Alton Town Council is working on a policy document for fly grazing on council land, with help from Hampshire County Council.

This could include the introduction of a local by-law to make it illegal for anyone, without consent of the town council, to turn out or permit any animal for which he or she is responsible to graze on the site.

The consultation runs until next Friday, August 19.

The survey can be completed online at surveymonkey.co.uk/r/greenfieldsopenspace or via a paper copies which are available from the town hall.