The owner of a Tolworth Persian restaurant has been given a reprieve from council officers who wanted him to tear down a timber patio.

The patio, outside Sarab in Ewell Road, was deemed "discordant" and "intrusive" by Kingston Council's planning department.

From Monday: Councillors urged to force removal of Sarab restaurant's 'discordant and intrusive' decking area

But at a meeting last night, Surbiton councillors deferred enforcment action to allow for negotiations over six months.

Owner Hamid Nejad said: "If it doesn't look right, I will put it right. The intention really is to make the restaurant look better, not the way it was."

Enforcement officer Paul Young said: "We're not precluding a solution or coming to an agreement or a compromise scheme with the owner.

"We would be open to a revised planning application."