Surprise lease proposed to take over the Lismore Visitor Information Centre

The building has been closed since March last year, but now a new plan is on the table, and it could see the centre reopen with a new partner within months.

The Lismore Visitor Information Centre was closed on March 23 as part of council's pandemic response.

Lismore City Council and Rous County Council could sign a lease for the future use of the Lismore Visitor Information Centre.

The centre, located in Molesworth Street next to Heritage Park, has been closed since March 23, 2020, when council closed down a number of its facilities as part of its pandemic response.

But unlike facilities such as the Lismore Regional Gallery or the Recycling and Recovery Centre, the tourism hub has remained closed.

Council will discuss a proposed lease at Tuesday’s ordinary meeting.

If the idea is approved, Rous will give the lease its final approval at its June ordinary meeting.

Guy Bezrouchko, group manager of Corporate and Commercial at Rous County Council, said the lease could be for three years for the building’s first floor.

“Lismore will continue to own the building and will continue to provide all the tourism material and collateral,” he said.

“We would be partners, and our interest is to have a space we could use to engage with the community in innovative ways.”

The executive said Rous will use part of the space to connect with residents directly.

“We are investing in our community engagement with the whole region,” he said.

“Lismore City Council put out an expression of interest for someone to take over the centre, so our application explained we want to share the space and also offer information about what we do.

Mr Bezrouchko said Rous would offer information on their bulk water, flood prevention and weed biosecurity, with a strong connection to local Aboriginal culture.

“We would also like to investigate innovative ways to continue to improve and expand our relationship with the local Indigenous community, through our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP),” he said.

“We are looking for a strong involvement with Indigenous organisations as partners, supported by our RAP advisory group, and as soon as all the approvals are in place we can start together to make this happen”.

Current discussions between both councils have been about a three-year lease, with an option to continue in the future.

Rous is hoping to be able to reopen the centre in spring 2021.

If both councils endorse the concept and approve the terms, the lease could be signed later in June.