Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council is working with the Bedworth Civic Hall CIO and hoping to get the lease for the venue signed imminently.
In March, the Charitable Incorporated Organisation exchanged contracts on a 20-year agreement for the Civic Hall with the Council.
The lease will only take effect if external funding identified by the CIO in their business plan is secured, and this will ensure the CIO is not put in a financially untenable position.
Following dialogue with the CIO, the Council agreed a fixed window for the CIO to secure funding and for the necessary pre-opening works to be completed.
A Council spokesperson said:
“Following a request from the CIO, we have extended the deadline for the lease to be signed until Friday, 7 June.
“We have contractors on site carrying out work to ensure the venue can open to the public again.
“Hopefully by then, and when the CIO has completed its obligations, the lease will be able to be completed.’’
Work undertaken by the Council’s contractors should be completed by Friday, 7 June, in accordance with the CIO’s plans to open the building the following month.
The CIO was recently awarded £165,000 in funding from the ACT ONE Community Ownership and Transformation Project which will be used to get the venue and Community Hub up and running.
This followed a lengthy consultation period to find a suitable operator and an extended period of negotiations with the CIO, with action taken by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council to ensure a smooth transition.
The venue was originally opened in 1973 and was last used as an entertainment venue in 2020 when it was utilised as a vaccination centre during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Several shows have already been confirmed by the CIO, including Julie Bromage Dance Academy with Love the Memory, Roy “Chubby’’ Brown and Jack and the Beanstalk.