Celebrity chef Mark Hix is ordered to demolish ‘illegal’ wooden decking at his luxury Oyster and Fish House restaurant
- Council have thwarted Mark Hix’s plan to keep an outdoor area he set up in 2020
- The decking was built on a temporary basis on council land during pandemic
Celebrity chef Mark Hix is in hot water after council officials ordered him to tear down an ‘illegal’ decked seating area he built on their land.
The Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen star was given permission to build the three-tiered structure on a temporary basis during the pandemic to create extra space for outdoor dining.
But now Mr Hix has been told to take down the wooden decking at his Oyster and Fish House in Lyme Regis within eight weeks or they will ‘take it down’ themselves.
It was automatically approved as the government relaxed regulations to help the hospitality trade recover after covid.
Mr Hix previously threatened to burn the wood from the decking outside the town hall in protest if he had to take it down and pull support from charitable events.
The 59-year-old also told the council that his income would be reduced by around 30 per cent if he was forced to tear the £20,000 decking down.
Celebrity chef, Mark Hix MBE (pictured), has reached boiling point with local officials who have opposed his plans for an outside decked eating area
The decking at Mr Hix’s Oyster and Fish House enjoys sweeping views of the sea at Lyme Regis on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast
Although council officials in Lyme Regis were amenable to the idea of it being a permanent fixture, they have now told Mr Hix to remove it by the end of March.
READ MORE: Celebrity chef Mark Hix goes to war with council chiefs as he slams ‘small minded’ officials for REFUSING bid for permanent outside eating area at his Oyster and Fish House restaurant
They said it encroached on public gardens and had a detrimental impact on the area.
In response, Mr Hix has threatened to withdraw his charitable support for the seaside town, pulling out of the annual food festivals and fundraising events he hosts, which he says have raised ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ for the local RNLI and boosted tourism.
The council warned him that if he ignored the notice, they would seek enforcement action.
The 40ft by 26ft space outside the 59-year-old restaurant enjoys sweeping views of the sea at Lyme Regis on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.
It is the home of the famous ‘Hix Fix’ cocktail, consisting of Champagne with a cherry soaked in apple eau de vie. This was one of the last drinks ordered by famous TV chef Keith Floyd before his untimely death in 2009.
The TV personality and food writer claimed to have the support of almost every eatery in the quaint harbour town and described the Lyme Regis Town Council of being ‘anti-business’.
Permission was given to build the three-tiered structure on a temporary basis during the pandemic to create extra space for outdoor dining
The 59-year-old restauranteur told the council that his income would be reduced by around 30 per cent if he was forced to tear the £20,000 decking down
But officials say the decking, which has been secured in the ground with concrete, now breaches the government’s covid regulations as it was not a temporary structure.
Graham Turner, one of seven councillors who voted against the decking, said: ‘The government were very clear about what you could have in the pandemic.
‘You could have temporary seating with tables and chairs but they had to be taken in at night. I am afraid the decking is not acceptable and has no permission from the council.
‘Technically it is an illegal structure because he does not have permission. We have given him an extension to the end of March but it needs to be gone by then.
‘There is no appeal process – we own the land. If it is not gone by the end by then, we will go to enforcement notices.
‘Technically we could go down and get rid of it ourselves because it is an illegal structure
‘The whole thing has turned a bit sour but if he gets away with keeping it there, the next person will think they can build something and ask later.’
Mr Hix said that the council ‘have no interest in business and seem to be anti-tourism’
Councillor Brian Larcombe MBE added: ‘The structure was requested under the government guidelines for temporary support during covid.
‘That temporary agreement has come to an end. The guidelines stated that it should be temporary and packet away at night.
‘What was put in the ground was more substantial and required permission as it was not compliant with those guidelines.
‘The initial idea was presented by his agents – then what Mark Hix subsequently described was very different and that is not what we gave permission for.
‘We have the same powers as if a neighbour built an extension in your garden – this is council property.
‘The gardens are the last piece of open amenity space on the seafront – everything else is commercialised and developed.
‘We don’t want to lose it because once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.’
Speaking previously, Mr Hix threatened to burn the wood from the decking outside the town hall in protest if he had to take it down.
The council have said they could take the structure down at any time as it is their land – but have given Mr Hix an eight week deadline
He said: ‘We have got the best reputation of any restaurant in the town and the small-minded council should be on our side.
‘These people have no interest in business and seem to be anti-tourism.
‘Over the years, I have done a lot for the town in terms of charity and events but they’ve totally ignored that. You would think they’d be more supportive.
‘We have had a food festival showcasing local produce and there was live music on the beach which raised a lot of money for the lifeboat station and the Fisherman’s Mission, a charity supporting the families of those lost at sea.
‘The whole town would benefit from the tourism – 5,000 people visited. After having done a lot for Lyme Regis, it just seems pointless.
‘If I have to take down the deck, anything that brings tourism to the town events, festivals, local charities connected to the town council and tourism will be withdrawn.
‘I have the support of most of the businesses in the town. It will probably come to all us restaurants shutting down the streets. That’s the general feeling among us.
‘I might even take the wood from the terrace and set fire to it outside the town hall.’
The deck was built on a piece of land in Lister Gardens, owned by the town council, which he said had ‘never been used’ before he developed it.
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