A new lease to enable Bermuda Society of Arts to stay at City Hall is still being hammered out — eight months after the charity was served with a controversial eviction order.

The Corporation of Hamilton granted the BSoA a temporary reprieve at the start of this year after the decision to kick the arts society out of City Hall sparked a public outcry.

In April, the corporation offered a new five-year lease to the charity but The Royal Gazette can reveal that agreement has still not been reached after BSoA objected to some of the clauses.

BSoA president Jean Gardner told this newspaper: "We have been offered a lease, however the terms of that lease are still in negotiation.

"It was presented to us and we went through it clause by clause and there are some clauses in there that are not favourable.

"We have presented a list of our concerns and we have offered what we think are some viable solutions to the Corporation of Hamilton for their consideration. We haven't heard anything since."

She added: "I don't think the delay is one of intent to keep us hanging on. It's a busy time. This is an important document so everyone wants to make sure we get it right. It has to be a fair document for everybody."

Ms Gardner would not give details of the lease or the unfavourable clauses. "Until we have a lease that we are happy with, it's probably best not to discuss that outside of the Corporation of Hamilton. I don't want to do anything to hinder getting the lease."

The society's lease expired at the start of this year but the reprieve extended it until the end of June. Ms Gardner said the Mayor had since given verbal agreement that it could stay in City Hall until the end of December.

"Hopefully, we will have this matter resolved by the end of the year," she said. "Very many of us hope so. We are remaining optimistic. We are scheduling shows for next year.

"We are proceeding in a fashion that would indicate to everyone that we are hopeful that we remain in place there but until we have something in writing there is always the worry."

Ms Gardner said support for the society remaining at City Hall from the artistic community, the general public and the press had been excellent.

Corporation Secretary Ed Benevides said: "We did in fact receive a response from the BSoA to the Corporation. The City Hall committee has met on it and we are just looking at some of the issues raised.

"We do anticipate that this will be settled before the end of the year. We don't see anything that's going to prevent that from happening. We are just going through the normal steps of negotiating."

This newspaper understands that the new lease contained a substantial increase in rent but that wasn't one of the society's sticking points.

It is also understood that however long the negotiations take, the lease will still run out on the date in 2013 given in the original contract in April. The Bermuda National Gallery's lease at City Hall also runs out that year.

BSoA, which has about 400 members, has had a purpose-built gallery at City Hall since the 1960s. Corporation members voted to evict the society so the space could be used for offices.