The Filter Room, a long-standing and popular venue at Meeanee, has closed. Photo / NZME
The Filter Room, a long-standing and popular venue at Meeanee, has closed. Photo / NZME
Well-known Napier venue The Filter Room has closed suddenly after what the owner says is a “disappointing” decision by the landlord not to renew the lease.
But a sign went up at the front of the venue last week saying “closed until further notice”, despite The Filter Room continuing to promote itself on social media in the days beforehand.
A law firm representing the landlord declined to comment, and it is unclear what the premises will be used for now.
The Filter Room owner Otis Robinson is now preparing to announce a new location for his business following the unexpected closure, and says it will open with a new name.
Robinson said he held the lease at the Meeanee property for the past seven years and claimed he had a lease option for a further three.
He claimed he received a letter in August about the lease renewal and emailed the landlord to renew it for a further three years, but did not hear back.
He said he was hand-delivered a letter in late October from the landlord’s lawyer confirming The Filter Room’s lease was ending on October 31.
“It is that simple and it happened in very short notice,” Robinson said.
“I tried to work with them to say why don’t we extend it for three months and we can trade over summer and look after all our Christmas functions and then hand it over.”
However, he claimed that was declined, so he has vacated the premises.
The Filter Room owner Otis Robinson. Photo / Warren Buckland
Robinson said the communication and overall experience had been “very disappointing” and “the timing was terrible” but he wanted to move on instead of contesting the lease in court.
He said they were close to announcing a new home potentially by the end of this week.
“It won’t be called The Filter Room, it will be a little different, but it will be the same operators and the same operandi in terms of live music, a garden bar - [that] will be the same.”
The Meeanee property is owned by Plumpton Park Estate Ltd, according to property records. Robinson said he believed the landlord had plans for the site.
Law firm Sainsbury Logan and Williams is representing the landlord. It declined to comment, but it did attach a letter outside the building that could be read through the window by Hawke’s Bay Today reporters.
“This letter confirms the position that there has been no renewal of the lease by the tenant, and therefore the lease ended on October 31 2024,” the letter read.
“Accordingly, the landlord has retaken possession of the premises.”
The letter also referenced an earlier letter sent in August.
There is a brewery located next to The Filter Room building, Hawke’s Bay Brewing Co.
Hawke’s Bay Brewing Co is operated separately and the company confirmed its lease (with the same landlord) was not impacted.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
