The future of new Braddon art project The Chop Shop is uncertain after its organisers were slapped with a stop-work notice just two days before its opening.
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Sancho Murphy and Pat Rose plan to turn a derelict mechanic's workshop on Lonsdale Street into a temporary art gallery, performance space and bar for four months until the workshop is torn down to make way for apartments.
They created a Kickstarter campaign to raise $10,000 for the project but exceeded their target, with more than $16,500 in funding.
However, they have faced red tape from the ACT Planning and Land Authority while trying to get the building certified as ready to open.
Mr Rose said their certifier believed up to $80,000 worth of changes could be required before the building could open under its current planning status.
''They want us to upgrade our building from a rating 7 to a 9c, which is a complete amendment to the entire back section,'' he said.
Ms Murphy said they were disappointed that The Chop Shop was being asked to comply with standards more akin to a commercial restaurant than a temporary performance space and bar that would only be open two nights a week.
The pair said they respected the planning authority but believed The Chop Shop should be treated as a temporary venue rather than a permanent operation.
''These laws are for creating a new building, not for a temporary venue like this. We’re not asking for the law to change, we’re simply asking for consideration as a temporary venue,'' they wrote in a statement.
Ms Murphy and Mr Rose, along with a team of helpers, have spent the past three weeks refurbishing the workshop, levelling the floor, installing fire-safety doors, and putting other measures into place to comply with planning and building regulations.
The Chop Shop was set to open on Friday to host a party for rising literary star Omar Musa's new book, Here Come the Dogs, and Ms Murphy and Mr Rose planned to launch the venue on August 9.
They believe the stop-work notice followed a complaint from a member of the public.
Ms Murphy said property developer Ivan Bulum and the site certifier would head to ACTPLA headquarters on Thursday morning to see if the stop-work notice could be lifted.
Mr Bulum's family owns the site and offered the workshop to Ms Murphy and Ms Rose for their project.
ACTPLA have been contacted for comment.
