A referendum may be held to decide the future of the 100-year-old village hall in Marcham.

A proposal to demolish the Anson Institute and sell the site for housing to pay for a new hall has run into fierce opposition.

The Institute, in North Street, along with 12 houses and some land, was left to the village by sisters Lucy and Anne Anson but the gift did not include money for maintenance. Eleven of the houses have been sold to pay for repairs.

On Tuesday, more than 200 people attended a public meeting at the Institute after the trust which administers it said that maintaining the building was too expensive and was exhausting its funds.

Three options were debated:

To refurbish the building at a cost of more than £100,000

To build a new hall on the site at an estimated cost of £400,000

To sell the land for housing and build a new hall in Anson field.

Trustee Neil Rowe said the Institute's "dark and gloomy" interior was not attractive for social functions and the kitchen needed modernising. Disabled access also had to be improved to meet legal requirements. He added: "I believe the best option would be to sell the site and build a new hall. There would be enough money for an endowment to ensure the future of the new building." But some villagers want the building saved. Jeremy Collins said: "It would be an act of vandalism to demolish the Institute."

He said more effort should be made to let the hall for functions and an appeal to villagers, businesses and other funding sources should be launched.

William Cumber, who chaired the meeting, said: "We need to come up with more concrete proposals so we will have to discuss getting plans, drawings and costs drawn up. Then people will have a better idea of the options and can make a better informed judgment.

"I think in the long term, once we have firmed up the options, a referendum will be the only way to get a valid and meaningful view of the way the village feels."