Wellington bar Photonflux was given just one hour to remove all its belongings from the premises after its relationship with the landlord turned sour. However, when the bar owners turned up with friends and family to help remove the items, the landlords said that only two people were allowed inside at any time.
In a Facebook post detailing the drama, the owners of Photonflux said that they coordinated a group through Facebook to comply with the time limit. After showing up and being denied entry, the police were called and the group was given 45 minutes to clear the site, with only eight people allowed in at any time. The post also claimed that landlord Cho Chan stood at the back of the bar and watched the people work while laughing and saying “I am really enjoying this.”
In another post, Photonflux gave an explanation to its customers why it was closed. The owners explained that after signing a lease in December 2016, the landlord had been “interfering” in the business and wouldn’t allow the bar to “trade to our full potential,” including opposing a liquor licence and refusing to install fibre internet.
“On Wednesday morning 13th of Feb 2019, the landlord changed the locks on us and evicted us out of the building. They cancelled the lease on us based on breaching the lease for turning his building in a non-complaint building for not filling a Change of Use.” In the post, the bar owners claim that they have been working on a Change of Use with the Wellington City Council for almost eight months.
