A CAFE, holiday accommodation, art rooms, educational spaces, a small cinema, a micro-brewery, a meditation space, a photographer’s dark room and even a drive-through restaurant.

These are just some of the ideas put forward by the public for the future use of the historic Victorian Chapel of Rest in The Old Cemetery, Stroud.

Stroud District Council is considering the chapel’s future as part of a review into its assets, and has given the Stroud Town Council (STC) an opportunity to buy it.

The town council has said it is considering doing a deal to keep the listed building in public-ownership, while also opening it up for ‘community use’.

But with a price tag of £175,000, the town Mayor Kevin Cranston wants to make sure the project would be realistic and financially viable.

As the next stage of a review, the council has now organised a meeting at The Subscription Rooms on January 25 to bring the community together to develop ideas.

“We appreciate residents’ sharing their views on important projects with us,” said Mr Cranston.

“We are looking for uses that are both realistic and financially viable and we hope people will come along to the consultation meeting when we talk the most viable suggestions through.”

The mayor added that he was mindful that public finances had to be used responsibly and that any future use of the chapel had to generate income for its upkeep.

STC have received a £5,000 grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund, which will help pay for an architect and specialist advice on the feasibility of any ideas that come forward.

At the moment the chapel in Old Bisley Road is only being used mainly as a grounds maintenance depot by the town council’s Green Spaces team.

The Old Cemetery is now a nature reserve, one of a few in the country based in a cemetery. The chapel is home to a species of bat.

Both the chapel and cemetery in Old Bisley Road were created in the 1850s.

Stroud Burial Board purchased a six-acre site at the edge of town and commissioned two Chapels of Rest and an entrance lodge to be built in Cotswold stone.

The cemetery was divided into three sections: one for Conformists, one for Non-Conformists and the third for parish paupers.

The meeting to discuss the next step is at the Subscription Rooms in George Street on Wednesday January 25 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

Further suggestions can be submitted on the Stroud Town Council website, www.stroudtown.gov.uk, before Friday January 20.

Stroud District Council is considering the future of the chapel as part of a larger review of its assets.

Due to pressures on its budget from reduced government funding, over the next few years this could see some of the district’s community landmarks such as the Sub Rooms sold off to ease financial strain.