Hebden Bridge Light Opera Society and the Calder Valley Youth Theatre have been using the rooms in an annexe at the rear of the council offices for more than 40 years, which they rent them from Calderdale Council.
Now they have put in a bid under the transfer of assets scheme to become owners of the annexe and concentrate all rehearsal activity, scenery building and costume storage there.
The bid was made following uncertainty about the future of the council offices and is separate from the Friends of Hebden Bridge Town Hall scheme which is to develop the whole building for community use.
The new plan is to isolate the rehearsal rooms, and remove all the utilities which connect the annexe to the council offices, so that it becomes a completely separate building. "We have the resources and the manpower – electricians, plumbers and so on – so we could do all this ourselves," said Hebden Royd councillor Karl Boggis.
He is a member of an action committee, along with Michael Mallinson, Brian Biggin and Ken Goulding, who have put in the bid on behalf of the HBLOS and the CVYT.
"This is not a scheme which is going to cost anybody else any money," said Coun Boggis. "We raise our own funds to maintain and run the rooms and pay rent to Calderdale already, so that we know we would operate the building independently."
The upstairs area would be used for scenery building and costume storage, and the downstairs part would be used for rehearsals, social events and occasional hire to other organisations – although the two societies are currently rehearsing six nights a week.
The CVYT has just started rehearsals there for the musical West Side Story which will be staged in the Autumn, and the senior society is rehearsing for its 2010 production of The Hot Mikado.
The two organisations have upwards of 100 members.
"We are concerned that there are no definite plans for the future of the town hall and we want to secure this space, part of which has been our base since 1967," said Councillor Boggis.