CELEBRITY chef Mark Hix has been ordered to take down an outdoor decking area outside his Lyme Regis restaurant by the end of March. 

The Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen star hit the headlines in December after the town council opposed his permanent plans for the large wooden area at his luxury seafood eatery.

Built during the pandemic, the three-level extension was automatically approved as the Government relaxed regulations to help the hospitality trade serve food outside.

Mr Hix applied to retain the structure permanently but town councillors felt it encroached on the nearby Lister Gardens, owned by Lyme Regis Town Council (LRTC).

The 40ft by 26ft space outside Mr Hix's Oyster and Fish House enjoys stunning views of Dorset's Jurassic Coast.

The 59-year-old chef, who opened the eatery in 2020, said in December that his income would be reduced by about 30 per cent if he was forced to tear the £20,000 decking down.

An extraordinary meeting of LRTC was held on January 25 where councillors voted for the outdoor area to be removed following a long-running dispute between the council and the chef, who threatened to pull his support for many of the town's events. 

The restaurant has indicated that it is considering submitting another planning application to Dorset Council for outside seating after a previous one was withdrawn.

A petition has also since been launched to help retain the outdoor structure, with the restaurant calling the council's decision 'genuinely shocking'. 

LRTC clerk John Wright said in a statement after last week's meeting: “The council granted temporary permission for the Oyster and Fish House to provide additional outside seating on council-owned land as part of the Government’s request for local councils to support the hospitality industry through the pandemic. Initially, that permission was granted for one year.

“This was subsequently extended for a second year. More recently, the council has agreed to extend that temporary permission for a further six months until March 31, 2023.

"All of these permissions were granted at a nominal cost to help support the Oyster and Fish House and others.

“The council has recently recommended the refusal of a planning application submitted by the Oyster and Fish House to make the additional outside seating permanent.

"The council was concerned about the permanent encroachment into the public gardens of a commercial use and the large, decked outside seating area which accompanied it.

“The town council has considered a request from the Oyster and Fish House to make the outside seating area permanent and has decided not to agree to this because the public gardens should be kept free of commercial development for the enjoyment of local residents and visitors.

"The initial request was only agreed by the town council as a temporary Covid-related business support measure.”