A CHURCH wants to demolish its old community hall and expand with a modern function room.

The Manor Mission Church, in Manor Road, Laindon, wants the overhaul well underway by March next year - in time for its 90th birthday.

If the plans are approved, the £60,000 facelift will see church’s back room hall bulldozed to make way for a larger wooden hut including disabled toilets and a kitchen.

Trustee Tim Marshall is excited about the plans and said he hopes Basildon Council approves their proposals so the church can offer more to its visitors.

He said: “It’s a big project but the current hall is coming to the end of its life and it’s going to fall down soon.

“We have tried to keep it repaired to best standard that we can.

“We have Rainbows, Brownies and other clubs who use the hall at the moment so it would be great to offer the people who come here something bigger and better.”

The 29-year-old teacher added the church raised £18,000 over the last year to fund the project.

The money came from the church’s own funds, donations from church-goers and a £2,000 pledge from St John’s Church in Langdon Hills.

Mr Marshall said: “We’re extremely grateful for the donations.

“We are hoping to get the planning application approved and the funding sorted in time for the birthday anniversary.”

Trustees sent the full planning proposal to the authority on around December 10.

If successful, the new hall will be available for use from 10am-6pm Monday to Friday and on Sundays and bank holidays.

The hall came into the spotlight last year after the church housed the Busy Bees after their former base, at Bluehouse Farm Community Centre, Laindon, was gutted in a huge blaze.