PLANS to rebuild a council office which was destroyed in an arson attack have gone on show.

South Oxfordshire District Council invited residents, staff and councillors to an exhibition of its plans yesterday at its temporary headquarters at Milton Park.

Residents were invited to give their feedback on the proposals and even give their thoughts on a shortlist of names for the new building.

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The shortlist was inspired by local history and the nature in the surrounding area.

The names on the list include Andrew Wilding House, Chiltern View, Phoenix House and Thames House.

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Sustainability is at the core of the new building proposals, with plans to use renewable energy sources and automatic controls and sensors.

Councillor Andrea Powell, who attended the exhibition to see the new plans, said: “This must be a sustainable building, it has got to recognise the climate emergency we have declared.

"It needs to be energy-efficient and also, importantly, it needs to be a facility for the whole community.”

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Parts of the council building will be open for everyone to use.

Ms Powell explained: “There will be a whole area open to the public and there will be a café which they can use either when they’re here on council business or just passing by.

“The new council chamber, the café area and the seating area will all be for local rental.

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"Hopefully it will be a lovely environment and people will want come and have their wedding receptions or parties there.

“The council is looking at ways it can generate revenue as well, and this is an obvious opportunity to build a facility that really does provide something extra for the community.”

This week it was revealed that the budget for the new headquarters building had doubled in the past year.

The council originally allocated £9.4m for the Crowmarsh Gifford building and now that budget is £17.8m.

Ms Powell said: “The budget for the project is commercially confidential so I was very disappointed that the budget was leaked.

"We’re conscious that this is public money and we want to make it value for money. We have made a commitment to publish all the costing as they become public.”

The council hopes to move in to the new building in April 2022.