An Oakham hairdesser has revealed plans to move his salon into a former chapel.
Chris Gunby, who runs Creme hair and Beauty in The maltings, off Mill Street, has applied for planning permission to move into the building, most recently used as a social clunb by St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.
The building in Mill Street wa
s put up for let to help raise £40,000 to repair the roof of the church in Station Road.
Fundraising efforts had already generated £20,000 of the £60,000 needed.
Mr Gunby plans to take a 20-year lease on the property and expects to open in the New Year.
Mr Gunby, who lives in a restored chapel in Church Street, South Witham, plans to re-open the main entrance door that is currently a fire exit and to put in a mezzanine level to show off the stained glass windows and give views from the ground floor to the ceiling.
The downstairs will be a feature a large open plan salon and there will be five hair and beauty rooms upstairs.
Mr Gunby said: "We're outgrown our premises and this gives us more working space and more storage space."
Mr Gunby opened Creme Hair and Beauty in 1995 with one member of staff.
The company now has three shop units in The Maltings with 33 staff and a hair and beauty salon at Greetham Valley Golf Club with nine staff. The new venture will create six jobs.
The former Roman Catholic chapel dates back to 1883. Towards the end of the 1960s it became too small for the congregation and the then parish priest Michael Lynch with the help of parishioners bought the current church site on Station Road.
The 'for lease' sign generated plenty of interest from people who were interested in using the club for billiards, antiques and even a midwifery practice.
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