A CRUMBLING church hall in East Oxford could soon find a new lease of life as a restaurant.

The Diocese of Oxford has launched an ambitious scheme involving SS Mary and John Church Hall, in Cowley Road, the old vicarage and a car park between the church and the hall.

Roger Harwood, the diocesan director of buildings, said: "It really started with the parish hall. We've got a problem with the flooring in the main hall which has gone rotten.

"The parish doesn't have the resources to do anything about it and it's a listed building so we wanted to try and think laterally about what to do with that and the former vicarage as part of the same scheme."

Mr Harwood said a number of possibilities were being investigated.

These included dividing the vicarage into four smaller dwellings, transforming the hall into a restaurant or office - which would be owned by the Parochial Church Council but rented out and run as a separate business - and putting up a new community building in the car park area between the church and hall.

The church hall and vicarage are both Grade II listed buildings and were designed by Victorian architect Ninian Comper.

The vicarage is occupied by charity Asylum Welcome and the church hall is used by charity East Oxford Action, which runs the annual Cowley Road Carnival.

Mr Harwood said: "We need some cash to make the place ship shape again but we wanted it to be a win-win situation as well so there are still community facilities on site and extra residential properties in the area. It's really an exciting opportunity."

The Rev Adam Romanis said: "It is a major scheme and will address difficulties we have with these buildings.

"There are people who are enthusiastic about the fact that this is a possible way of giving these buildings a future and making them work for the church and the community.

"But of course there is a great deal of sadness on the part of those who remember how they were used in the past.

"Something needs to happen to solve the problems and stop them becoming a dangerous liability."

Architects have been employed by the diocese and are working with Oxford City Council to prepare planning applications, which are unlikely to be submitted for three months.

But if plans were approved a new restaurant could be up and running at the site within a year.