(UPDATED) Richmond's The Zone bowling alley closes its doors

UPDATE: The Zone Bowling Alley has re-opened after settling with the landlord. Read more here.

A popular bowling alley in South Richmond has shuttered its doors following a lengthy dispute with the landlord.

The Zone Bowling Alley at the Riverport Sports and Entertainment Complex was forced to close down on Friday following a B.C. Supreme Court order, Richmond News reports.

The adjacent Big River Brew Pub, which is also operated by the bowling alley, was included in the closure order.

Operators were apparently often late in paying their rent and cheque payments made to the tenant would occasionally bounce from the bank.

The 10-year lease on the property expired in April 2014 and The Zone was supposed to renew its lease by the end of July 2013. According to the report, negotiations were not finalized in time and it continued for nearly another year before breaking down in summer 2014.

In October 2014, the landlord provided The Zone with notice of lease termination – that it would be required to vacate the premises by November 30, 2014. The operator took the notice to court, but they failed to convince the judge who ruled in favour of the landlord earlier this year.

The property has been under new ownership since December 2013 when it was sold to Qiji Investments Ltd.