Several former shops and banks in Alton town centre will be considered for housing as part of a bid to prevent more development on surrounding fields.

East Hampshire District Council recently asked residents to suggest brownfield sites that could be considered for development.

The call – made as part of the ongoing bid to update East Hampshire’s Local Plan – was well-answered with 111 sites being suggested.

The list has been whittled down to 34 with sites in Alton making up more than half the final figure.

A good portion are around the town centre with the former HSBC and Natwest branches on the consideration list along with the former M&Co shop and 4 and 6 High Street.

Omega Park Industrial Estate, 1-24 Gerald Square, The Queen’s Head Holybourne and Mount Pleasant car park are among the other sites that will be considered while village sites include Lasham airfield, Alton Golf Club and Station Approach offices in Medstead.

Although the council made a call for possible sites throughout the non-national park section of the district, the vast majority of suggestions concentrated on the Alton area with just two sites in Whitehill & Bordon – the MOD Community Centre and Chase Community Hospital – making the final cut.

The council wants to prioritise development on brownfield sites to minimise the need to build on countryside.

The sites will now be assessed for suitability and will be included in the council’s ongoing work on the Local Plan along with its own assets, both inside and outside the park, that could have potential for development.

Cllr Angela Glass, EHDC portfolio holder for regulation and enforcement, called the exercise “extremely useful” and thanked residents for their suggestions.

She said: “It’s so important that we continue to make the best use of previously development land to protect our countryside.”