The Royal Croquet Club will relocate from Victoria Square if and when its organisers see fit under a compromise deal struck at an Adelaide City Council meeting last night.

The council rejected a push by South Ward councillor Alex Antic to “encourage” Royal Croquet Club organisers to find a different city location for the month-long Fringe event by 2017.

After a lengthy debate, the council settled on a compromise motion – moved by Deputy Lord Mayor Houssam Abiad – to “assist” the organisers of the event to find a different location in the city, given their “intention” to do so.

Royal Croquet Club co-director Tom Skipper told InDaily last night he intended for the event to be held in a different city location for the 2017 Fringe, but he was pleased with the option to continue using the city’s central square in 2017 and beyond if an alternative couldn’t be found.

He said that “space is going to be at a premium in 2017” because of the State Government’s extension to the O-Bahn under Rymill Park, and its effect on other large Fringe venues such as Gluttony and Fringe Club.

“We’ll just have to exhaust all opportunities and options as to what’s out there and what’s available,” he said.

“I never want to put any certainties on anything, and I think it’d be premature of us to actually sit here and state that we will be leaving and vacating (Victoria Square) in 2017.”

He said that, as a venue for large events, Victoria Square “has its challenges”, including because it is only accessible by truck from one entry.

“With the growth of the Fringe and our supporting role to the Festival, it would be in the best interest of Royal Croquet Club to move to a suitable site that balances the community’s interest and allows us to build on our event for years to come,” Skipper said in a statement this morning.

“We look forward to working with council to establish a suitable new site and we, again, thank council members for their patience and the courtesies they have extended towards us.”

Skipper said he and co-director Stuart Duckworth began to consider their options regarding the Victoria Square site following a council committee meeting last month.

The committee passed a motion by Antic, recommending that the council negotiate with the Royal Croquet Club on the basis that it shut down loud music by midnight each night, and close by 1am on Friday and Saturday nights, among other conditions, during Fringe season.

“Certainly we explored all avenues after the committee meeting,” said Skipper.

“We started to look at alternatives.

“It became pretty apparent through those discussions with councillors and council administration that Victoria Square was a challenging site, and so from those discussions we then entered into conciliation.

“There were no bully tactics.

“We’ve always … worked closely with the council.”

Skipper said last night’s decision was “a great result”.

“Council, I think, have represented their constituents fairly and equitably,” he said.

“They have a duty to their rate payers, but also they have a duty of care, to look after the greater population of Adelaide.

“I think they’ve done that in a very well-balanced manner.”

However, not everyone is happy with the deal, which maintains the Royal Croquet Club’s 2015 closing time of 2am for 2016 and imposes a midnight ban on loud music for the event.

Area councillor Sandy Wilkinson said the Royal Croquet Club had damaged established businesses during Fringe season not because of its location in Victoria Square, but because of its size, its trading hours and the “peppercorn rent” it pays for the use of space.

“When the biggest bar in Adelaide, HQ, had 35 bar staff, and this has 82 bar staff; when the biggest bar in Adelaide sells 60,000 of beer a year, and this sells 40,000 litres of beer in five weeks; that’s not balance, that’s not a Fringe venue – that is a massive bar, and one that is bleeding the life out of our city businesses,” Wilkinson said.

“No change in hours, no change in size.

“They’ve had three years of peppercorn rent and then they get to leave on their own terms, when they want to.

“It’s manifestly unfair.”