A POPULAR Bournemouth restaurant has closed its doors suddenly following a long-running wrangle over its extraction system.

The Skinny Kitchen, in Post Office Road, shut on March 8 almost two years after it first opened.

An extraction system was already in place when the eatery opened at the former site of Longhorn Burgers restaurant, but concerns were raised regarding odours following an inspection.

In September 2016, The Skinny Kitchen applied to install an extraction duct and intake grille to the rear of the premises as the system at the time was deemed “inadequate”, according to a council report.

Joel Belchem, founder of The Skinny Kitchen, claimed the managers of the premises had asked them to move the system.

In December 2016, a revised planning application was submitted so the extraction system would be positioned to the side of the building running up to the roof. The scheme won council approval.

The Skinny Kitchen had proposed installing filters so odours from the kitchen could be released at the back of the building as an alternative.

Mr Belchem said: “We were offering reasonable solutions for the extraction fan.

“Eventually we got to the point where the amount of money they wanted us to pay a solicitor and to change the extraction system wasn’t worth doing.”

Mr Belchem claimed the total amount would have been in the region of £35,000.

“We did look to move in Bournemouth but there wasn’t a suitable building,” he added.

The Skinny Kitchen specialises in serving “clean, fresh food” and the Bournemouth restaurant was the first in the UK to open in 2016.

Mr Belchem said: “Business was doing really well and we were making money and getting bigger.

“It’s really frustrating with all that’s going on with the new restaurants, we had to close the one in Bournemouth.”

The healthy eating dining concept began in Ibiza in 2014.

The Skinny Kitchen now has four restaurants; two in Ibiza, one in Belfast and another in Canterbury.

The Bournemouth branch caused a storm on social media among the health conscious when it opened.

Dishes include skinny burgers, protein bowls and healthy pancakes.

Mr Belchem said by the end of the year there will be eight restaurants open in total with new branches set to open in Croydon, London and Leeds over the coming months.

He said it is possible the chain may make a return to the area at some point in the future.

The Daily Echo contacted the managers of the premises - Morgan Management Ltd - but they were not available for comment.