An Ipswich beauty salon could soon be moving to a new home in Duke Street.
An application has been submitted to Ipswich Borough Council to relocate Beauty Inspired Studio to the vacant retail unit at 12 Duke Street. The unit was formerly occupied by an international supermarket, but has been empty since January.
The Beauty Inspired Studio is currently based in Wherstead Road. It was founded in 2013 and is owned by Dana Gabene.
A planning statement prepared by Planning Direct consultants said: “The beauty salon offers various treatments such as waxing, eyelashes, facials, and nails, with the applicant herself being an experienced nail technician.
“With her growing client base, the business is naturally expanding and the applicant is now looking to occupy a larger commercial space and to allow this.”
The statement said that, if accepted, the salon would operate from Duke Street seven days a week. It would be open from 9am to 8pm from Monday to Saturday, and from 9am to 4pm on Sundays.
The statement said Beauty Inspired Studio had taken on two members of staff who were self-employed, but would work from the salon “much like how many hair salons operate.”
It explained that these members of staff specialised in nail and foot treatments, expanding the number of professional treatments offered.
The statement explained that the unit had been refurbished during the ten months it has stood empty, and so did not need any significant changes as it was “a blank canvas.”
Floor plans show that the two smaller rooms off the main shop floor would be used as treatment rooms.
The statement said that moving the business to the more central location of Duke Street would help to draw people back to the town centre.
It concluded: “It is Planning Direct’s professional opinion that [...] a beauty salon at 12 Duke Street would have an overall positive impact on this district centre of Ipswich.”
Ipswich Borough Council has set a target date for a decision of December 9.
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