Council agrees to extend lease for key Ballina facility

Members of Ballina Municipal District have approved a proposal to extend Ballina Arts Centre Ltd's current lease to 2040, a move intended to strengthen the centre's ability to secure future funding for building upgrades and improvements.

The current lease is due to expire on March 31, 2031, however, many capital funding programmes require applicants to have at least 10 years remaining on their lease when applying for funding.

Head of the Ballina Municipal District, Anna Connor, told the recent monthly meeting of the authority that the arts centre is currently seeking funding to retrofit and upgrade the building, but its ability to access certain grants has become increasingly limited as its current lease has less than five years remaining. To address the issue, Ballina Arts Centre Ltd approached the council seeking an extension to its current agreement.

Cllr Annie May Reape proposed the lease extension and Cllr Marie-Thérèse seconded it. Both sit on the arts centre's board and spoke of the amazing work being done at the centre.

Following approval at municipal district level, the proposed lease extension is now due to go before a full meeting of the council for final approval.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme