THE face of Alton looks set to change significantly with 982 new homes expected to be built by 2028.

A big proportion of the new-builds could come on board as early as 2015.

This allocation of housing in the Alton area, dictated by Government and outlined in the emerging Joint Core Strategy, developed in partnership by East Hampshire District Council and the South Downs National Park Authority, is part of a total requirement for 2,966 homes to be built in East Hampshire within the next 16 years.

The majority of building will be restricted to those areas of East Hampshire which lie outside the new South Downs National Park.

For full story, see this week's Alton Herald.