An ambitious $1 million-plus plan to turn an unused old Christchurch air force hangar into a large indoor entertainment venue has crashed to the ground.
Local barber Ben Scott planned to convert the 1800m² hangar and mezzanine floor in Wigram into an all-ages entertainment centre, featuring a large indoor skate park and a host of other activities including archery, axe throwing and mini golf.
But over the weekend Scott announced his two limited liability companies - Benny’s Hangar and Benny’s Barber Shop - had been forced into liquidation.
Contractors and suppliers are now owed more than $400,000 and will have to wait for the liquidator's report to see how much they get back from the failed project.
Scott's former barber shop in Sydenham will continue to operate under new ownership.
Scott reached out to the public for help in May through an ambitious $750,000 crowdfunding campaign.
But it failed to reach its goal, bringing a halt to construction which was around 80 percent completed at the time.
Scott said it had been "one hell of a 10-year journey".
He said he had given the project his best shot but had come up short.
"(There's) a lot of learning to come from this," he said.
- By Geoff Sloan, made with the support of NZ On Air
