FINSTOCK villagers have submitted plans to demolish and replace their “crumbling” village hall.

It was built in 1929 as a glove factory but transferred to Finstock Parish Council ten years later after the occupants went bust.

Since then, the building has fallen into disrepair and residents have complained of crumbling walls and rotting floors.

After a survey of villagers, the parish council submitted an application to West Oxfordshire District Council for a new £284,000 facility.

Chairman of the Village Hall Trustees Shaun Morley said: “There was a lot of support in the community for a better facility.

“The hall is very cold and has no insulation. Some of the walls are crumbling and the floors are rotten. The pitched roof would also need replacing within ten years. The kitchen and the toilets are as low a standard as you are likely to see.

“We want to increase the comfort for current users and we also want to increase the usage of the hall. For example we want to open it up to local businesses as a space they can rent for a meeting room.”

Parish councillor Derek Bennett said: “The hall is in a real state and it’s getting worse and worse. People need somewhere to meet and we want it to be used more. It definitely has the support of the community.”

The new hall will include a large meeting room, a modern kitchen, toilet and storage facilities and a smaller multi-purpose room for business and social use.

The parish council has pledged £62,000 and hopes to raise a further £3,000 from selling off small pieces of council land.

It then hopes to raise £35,000 from fundraising in the village, including a beer festival, quiz nights and music events.

It hopes to make a further £130,000 from grants from the district council and from WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited).

An application was submitted to the district council on Tuesday.

Work on the demolition is likely to begin in September 2015, with the new facility up and running by May 2016.