THE phrase 'putting the cart before the horse' came to mind as Alton Town Council dubbed as "premature" a planning application to build 200 new homes on open agricultural land east of Will Hall Farm. Located at the junction of the A339 Basingstoke Road with the New Odiham Road, the application by landowners Winchester College and Hallum Land Manage­ment Ltd, and marketed by Reading agents Barton Willmore as Wey Gardens has attracted 350 objections. Most of these are objecting to the creation of a built-up area in open countryside, on a highly visible hillside that would encroach on the Alton skyline. For full story, see this week's Alton Herald.