Householders in Bicester are to be asked for their views on the future of the town's publicly-owned mansion.

Town councillors plan to send out details to all 11,300 homes in the town seeking opinions on the future of The Garth, in Launton Road.

Information packs going out early in the New Year will give details of the four options on the building, given with substantial grounds to the town by benefactors in 1947.

The Garth, built in the late 1890s, is now in a poor state of repair.

It is not a listed building but stands in the town's conservation area.

Over the years town councillors have carried out extensive repairs.

But as it still needs around £250,000 of renovations to the roof just to keep the building watertight, councillors want people's views on its future.

The four options currently being considered are:

**rectify current defects only

**demolish and build a similar structure

**Put up a completely new building

**retain the front and side facades with a new structure behind.

Town councillors are believed to favour the fourth option.

A consultation exercise was mounted at The Garth by town councillors on Sunday when a computer-generated simulation gave an idea of what could happen to the property.

Council leader Norman Bolster said: "This was a priming exercise so that people could look round the interior of the building and see for themselves the problems we face with a rabbit warren of rooms and a derelict attic floor."

They also had a graphic idea of what might happen through the simulation put together by Adrian Dodds, of In-reality, based in Marsh Gibbon.

Before putting options to the town, the council had a full structural survey done on the building.

Consultants reported that it would cost £250,000 to repair the roof and decorative hanging tiles.

Mr Bolster said if the three facades were retained, the interior of the building would be gutted with the exception of the council chamber.

Better amenities could then be incorporated into the re-built property, including a function or assembly room that could cater for up to 300 people.

Mr Bolster said the next stage of consultation would be to circulate information to every household in the town so they could make an informed decision.