AS the demand for housing soars in the county, developers are eyeing up two of the more unusual sites to create homes.

In Oxford, the city council is looking for ideas to transform a former toilet block including potentially spending a penny or two to make it habitable.

And in Lewknor, an imaginative couple have set their sights on transforming a tiny former telephone exchange into a one-bedroom home.

The 4mx4m building, which has shied away at the edge of a field in Lewknor for a century, is the subject of drastic makeover plans.

George Uhart and his wife, who live in Buckinghamshire, hope to add a 2.8 metre extension on to the 1,173 square feet building.

The couple want to bring the London Road building up-to-date by cladding the outside of the building with timber and adding a shower, toilet, kitchenette and cloakroom.

In the planning document by agent Jake Collinge Planning Consultancy it said: "The proposals would provide an appropriate quality living environment for future occupiers and there would be no adverse impact on existing landscape features that contribute to the amenities of the area with the proposed landscaping ensuring a development consistent with the wider surroundings."

The neglected single-room building once served as a telephone repeater station, where signals were amplified to improve communication signals across the county.

District councillors are expected to decide this month on whether or not to pass the planning application, which was resubmitted after being withdrawn last year to revise the location of the parking space.

Neil Ballard, sales manager for Chancellors Estate Agents in Wallingford, said: "It's a quirky home but one that will be sold quickly, maybe by a person who will rent it out.

"Lewknor is a lovely place, just next to the M40, so it has the rural feel and views over the Chilterns, and with fantastic links to London and Oxford for that city life."

If passed, the home-owners would have to clamber up a ladder next to the kitchenette to access a double bed tucked into the eaves of the building.

Lewknor Blue Cross in London Road would be the house's nearest neighbour.

Employee David Key said the rehoming centre would not object the application, as long as the manager and deputy manager could use the track next to the house for vehicle access and to walk dogs.

Mr and Mrs Uhart declined to comment.

The former public toilets in Oxford could also be used for housing, but council officials are keeping their options open.

The Woodstock Road gents loos near Alexandra Park, vacant for several years, have been put up for sale by Oxford City Council.

The facilities in Woodstock Road are being sold through Marriotts, who can be contacted on 01865 316311.

Oxford City Council said it would monitor offers and ideas for various uses over the coming weeks.

A set of underground toilets in St Giles are currently being transformed into offices.

Gwyn Harries-Jones, the owner of the Galaxie Hotel in Banbury Road, agreed a lease for the Victorian loos with Oxford City Council and secured planning permission in 2014 to convert the 119-year-old loos.