Talks planned in TV chef Mark Hix's council decking row in Dorset

Celebrity Chef Mark Hix has appeared in Saturday Kitchen and Great British Menu

Talks are due to take place between a celebrity chef and town planners in a bid to defuse a row over an outside seating area.

Mark Hix, the owner of the Oyster and Fish House in Lyme Regis, Dorset, erected the decking during the pandemic when planning rules were relaxed.

But permission for the structure will soon expire and planners said it could not be made permanent.

Mr Hix said it "fits in with the restaurant" and should remain.

Many restaurants took advantage of the government's relaxation of planning laws during Covid to allow for social distancing with the temporary arrangement lasting until September 2022.

The outside seating area, on council owned land, affords panoramic views of Lyme Bay

However, Lyme Regis Town Council extended the deadline to March 2023.

The restaurant's decking, which offers panoramic views of Lyme Bay, sits on a piece of council-owned land in Lister gardens, which according to Mr Hix had never been used before he developed it.

But the council claims the development is an "ingress into a public amenity" and has a detrimental effect on the gardens.

Mr Hix, who said there would be a financial impact if the decking has to removed, added: "We've already got weddings booked for next year, so we'd have to look at alternative venues and we'd be employing less local labour."

Cheryl Reynolds, the deputy mayor of Lyme Regis, rejected criticism the council was being anti-business, citing grants and one-off £100 fees for outside seating areas.

But she acknowledged there was division about the decking amongst the town's 14 councillors and said it was important to find common ground between both parties.

The controversial decking was erected during the pandemic when planning rules were temporarily relaxed

"It certainly has been time-consuming, so the meeting next week will be essential and the council needs to resolve this early next year," she said.

Mr Hix, who has appeared on Saturday Kitchen and Great British Menu, was considering whether to pull out of events run by the council.

He said the council "should be suitably embarrassed" by its position.

"It's not like I've built some cranky old structure. It fits in with the restaurant.

"This is my livelihood and for it to be dismissed by a very small handful of councillors objecting to it, in my view they should be supportive of it," he added.

The town council said Mr Hix, who had applied to make the structure permanent, has since withdrawn his application.

It is understood a new application is being drawn up.

Dorset Council will make the final ruling and told the BBC it would not comment on planning matters.