CAMPAIGNERS have renewed demands to rebuild a burnt-out council building after it emerged that securing it will cost £20,000.

South Oxfordshire District Council has set aside the cash in its budget this year to sustain security patrols at its former offices in Crowmarsh Gifford, which had previously been covered by insurance.

The building was destroyed in an arson attack two years ago, and villagers remain frustrate it has seemingly been left to decay.

Crowmarsh Gifford resident Philip Tremayne, a member of a residents' action group, deemed the security costs 'outrageous'.

The 64-year-old said: "The site is deteriorating on a daily basis, they seem to have no appetite for making a swift decision on what to do with it. It's outrageous to have that sort of cost for a building that's just been abandoned.

"After two years they should have decided what they are going to do, they shouldn't have to secure it. It should have been dealt with; they've had plenty of time. There is a cost being levied for something that shouldn't be [necessary]. If they had done something with the site to rebuild it there wouldn't be a need for this."

District council spokesman Andy Roberts said: "We have set the money aside for security patrols as there were a number of incidents at the site in the aftermath of the fire. Previously the cost had been covered by the insurance following the fire.

"Securing the long term future of the site at Crowmarsh is a priority for the council, we are looking at all the available options and there are a lot of factors to take into account – including ensuring best value for money for council tax payers."

The site in Benson Lane fell victim to trespassers and break-ins after the fire.

Mr Tremayne was among villagers who spoke out in the Wallingford Herald last month, calling on the council to consider the brownfield site for housing as an alternative to hundreds of homes planned for greenfield sites.

Bloor Homes and Hallam Land Management have applied to put 150 homes east of Benson Lane, while Exilarch’s Foundation and Lightwood Strategic have plans for 80 homes in Old Reading Road.

Avant Homes has also applied to build 100 homes near Newnham Manor.

Council leader John Cotton insisted a definitive decision had still not been made about the site, but rebuffed demands that it should be offered up for housing any time soon.

He said: "At the moment we strongly support the retention of an employment site. There is some way to go before the site would become available for housing. It's an office building, albeit a shell of one, that can take 300-400 staff members. It may be that when it comes to it, an alternative use is an option."

But Mr Tremayne dismissed his hopes as 'pie in the sky'.

He said: "There have been proposals recently for literally thousands of houses in and around Wallingford and Benson, and no new significant employers in the area for years. It's a nice idea but it's pie in the sky that a major employer is going to build on the site and bring in hundreds of new jobs."

Last year Mr Cotton sad it was unlikely the council itself would move back into the building, after relocating to Milton Park near Didcot.