RUDHEATH Parish Council is mulling over an extension for its lease of The Venue until 2028.

The facility, in Gadbrook Road, has been leased to village chiefs by Cheshire West and Chester Council on a two-year trial basis since last June.

CWAC has now offered Rudheath Parish Council the chance to extend that by 10 years from July next year, with a five-year break clause.

And with the trial so far being hailed as a success, Rudheath councillors are keen to keep hold of a building they believe can become a valued community asset.

Cllr Alison Gerrard, chairman of Rudheath Parish Council, told the Guardian: "I would say we are definitely interested in extending the lease, things have been going quite well so far.

"We've got quite a lot of people using it now and lots of community groups. It's doing better than what we thought it would be doing at this stage.

"There's still a lot that we want to do with The Venue and if the lease was running out we would have to question whether it would be right to spend money on it.

"The ultimate goal is to set up a committee to run it, which would be overseen by the parish council, and for The Venue to be self-sustainable."

The parish council has already given The Venue a fresh coating of paint with the help of Roberts Bakery.

But Cllr Nigel Wilder, member of Rudheath Parish Council, insists that this is only the beginning of the work it wants to get done.

He said: "We are renovating the kitchen so we can offer more opportunities for parties and events, and we want to offer a drop-in cafe.

"We want The Venue to have functions too, and it can be used as a meeting space for businesses, while we want to improve accessibility for wheelchair users by putting lower windows in the inside doors.

"We also want to open up the stage area so bands and performers can actually use it, and we want to install netball courts at the back.

"All these things will take time and money, so we will have to apply for grants to get everything done."

Cllr Gerrard added: "When we apply for grants, they want to see how long we will have The Venue for, so extending the lease will help us with that."

Anyone interested in hiring The Venue should call Fiona Penny, clerk of Rudheath Parish Council, on 01606 334078.

Meanwhile, the council is also welcoming interest from sports teams who want to hire the playing field in Griffiths Park.

Call Fiona or Cllr Gerrard, on 01606 41515, for more information.