Mark Hix: Thousands sign petition to keep decking outside Dorset's Oyster and ... trends now
Thousands of people have turned up the heat on bureaucrats who have ordered a celebrity chef to tear down an illegal decked seating area at his luxury restaurant.
Over four-thousand people have signed a petition in support of Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen star Mark Hix, 60, who is furious town hall officials are 'defying the will of the people'.
The structure was built during the pandemic to create extra outdoor eating space for Mr Hix's Oyster and Fish House, Lyme Regis, Dorset, when building regulations were relaxed.
But councillors have argued the three-tier wooden decking is no longer a 'permanent structure' and has given Mr Hix eight weeks to remove it because it encroaches on council land.
Mark Hix, 60, is 'furious' town hall officials are 'defying the will of the people' with their order to remove his restaurant's wooden structure
The three-tier wooden decking (pictured) was built during the pandemic and opened by the town mayor, but the council has now changed its mind
The petition, which calls for the decking to remain, has received over 4,000 signatures in only a few days
Mr Hix claims to have the support of almost every eatery in the harbour town and has accused the Lyme Regis Town Council of being 'anti-business'.
He fears the restaurant could close if he loses the outside space which cost £20,000 to build.
Mr Hix also claimed the council would lose £14,500 a year in business taxes, as well as secondary revenue from customers.
He said: 'I'm furious, it's incredibly frustrating and there is nothing else I can do.
'I would ask everybody to sign that petition to show exactly how unpopular it is going to be when it is taken down.
'The mayor helped me open the balcony area, I couldn't believe it when he voted to destroy it.
'Unfortunately it doesn't look like the council is listening, they are defying the will of the people.'
Mr Hix
