A NIGHTCLUB in Billericay High Street is being overhauled by new owners and transformed into a “classy” and brightly decorated wine bar and seafood restaurant.

Chelsee Buffin has taken over the former French Martini and is rebranding the business as “Velvet and Vino” - a restaurant and wine bar with live entertainment and jazz music.

It comes after the nightclub faced issues in recent months and had its locks changed by bailiffs in September.

Now, Chelsee is hoping a rebrand can help “usher in a new era” and is planning an opening party on December 6.

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The 33-year-old is hoping to offer lobster, steak and champagne nights alongside all kinds of live entertainment and a dancefloor that will be open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

She said: “We want to bring this building back as a loved venue after the last year, I am so happy about it and there have been so many positive comments.

“With this place, I believe in the potential and it is a shame to see it like this, we want to bring it back and it made sense to get this off the ground.

“We want to bring it back and make it something, we are getting rid of the nightclub and turning it into a seafood restaurant and wine bar with live entertainment, it should have jazz.

“This location has always been good, it was Stuarts and then Bar Zero so we want a return to that.”

Chelsee added that rather than being darkly painted, like French Martini, the new Velvet and Vino will be “bright and golden”, to reflect the feel of the wine bar.

Chelsee added: “I have a good relationship with our chef and we wanted to bring back the classy crowd, with the seafood, the jazz and the wine, it is one of the best things you could do.

“We are focusing on lobster and steak, that would be our most premium offer, but we will be doing a basic fish and chips and other food as well.

“If this works, it is going to work big.”

The restaurant would join La Dolce Vita and Meyra Brasserie as the newest restaurants on the High Street.