A central Dunedin bar will probably have to close if the Dunedin City Council does not allow a fire escape to be put on council land.
Carousel bar owner John Devereux's predicament began last year, after the Stuart St bar was found to be breaching its maximum occupancy of 50 people.
Since then, Mr Devereux has been working to install a fire escape, in order to increase capacity and make the business viable.
Due to the building's dimensions, the fire escape would have to be on a council-owned lane-way next to the building.
If the council did not allow this to happen, he said he would probably have to close the bar.
"After this there is nowhere to go.''
He would have preferred a solution to have been found sooner.
Council chief financial officer Grant McKenzie said a decision on whether the council would let Mr Devereux install the fire escape on council land was expected next week.
The issue was complex, as the fire escape was likely to create issues for other users of the lane and people exiting from the lower Moray Pl car park.
The reason it had taken some time to get to a decision was because the council was working to get an "acceptable solution that protects all ratepayers' interests and also works for Mr Devereux''.
