He has been in discussion with Bega Valley Shire Council about the council-owned building since earlier in the year.

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Mr Rankin who is currently working on the new Aldi supermarket at Narooma, said the delays had all been about trying to resolve two - sometimes conflicting issues - heritage and accessibility.

"It's been about how to get people in and out and how to preserve the heritage. I've changed my concept but it's been a very positive result and a better result," Mr Rankin said.

He has always wanted the laneway to remain open to traffic entering from the road to access the car park at the rear of the building.

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"The laneway will be as I wanted it to remain. It was open to the bottle shop for all those years and gives access to the car park from the main street. Everyone has agreed," Mr Rankin said.

He added that it was the safest crossing in the shire given that by entering from the road into the laneway, pedestrians were clearly visible.

The entry has in recent times been paved over as part of the Imlay St makeover but will need to be opened again.

He said that getting a result between what he had originally envisaged abnd meeting both heritage and accessibility concerns had been "a bit like rock, paper, scissors," with one issue deterimental to the other.

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"But we have got a very successful outcome; it's not been easy to solve.

"It's been about how to access the building. I'm trying to keep everything heritage. I'm sticking to the old original look inside, with the pressed metal ceilings and the staircase and that's been the challenge with trying to keep the accessibility; it isn't easy, it's just taken time," he said.

He said given the closeness of Christmas, exchange was most likely to take place very early in the New Year.