Wodonga Council confirmed yesterday it was negotiating to lease the large brick building to Livid Productions and Jazz Albury-Wodonga, but had not yet completed the deal.

People involved with the two groups say their joint venture will complement the Hothouse Theatre’s Butter Factory and create a cultural precinct.

Livid Productions was started by Liz Kolisnyk and David Todd two years ago and has been looking for a permanent “home’’.

Jazz Albury-Wodonga’s regular home for gigs is the Irene House basement provided by Elgins.

Jazz club spokesman Graeme Cook said he could not give details of how it would use the building until the lease was signed.

“Elgins has been very good to us and the basement has been a fantastic venue, but we wanted our own place,’’ he said.

Ms Kolisnyk said Livid Productions needed a venue to store props and rehearse but would continue to stage productions at venues such as the Butter Factory and the Albury Entertainment Centre.

“We might use the new site for small theatre/restaurant-type shows,’’ she said.

“We’ll be staging the musical Jesus Christ Superstar at the Albury Entertainment Centre in October.’’

Wodonga chief executive Gavin Cator welcomed the groups’ interest and said he looked forward to giving details of enhancements to the building in due course.

Dairy company Holdenson and Nielsen built the cheese factory in the 1920s and later it was absorbed into North-East Dairy Co-operative and finally into Murray Goulburn.

Wodonga Council paid $230,000 for the dairy in 1986, though by then the cheese factory was leased to Skills Galore indoor market.

Murray Valley Pottery leased it from 1989 and Airlie Pottery from 1995 to 2004.

Wodonga Council terminated the Airlie lease because it had another lessee in mind, but that project never materialised.

l Editorial — page 14