AN AWARD-WINNING gay bar is making a bid to go al fresco.

Owners of the Charles Street Bar and Envy Club in Marine Parade, Brighton, have applied for planning permission to put four tables and 16 chairs outside their seafront entrance to create a “modest” seating area for al fresco dining and drinking.

The venue’s owners, Stonegate Pub Company, said the new area would still leave a minimum 3.41 metres of pavement for passers-by.

The firm has warned if planning permission is rejected, customers wishing to drink or smoke outside the premises might end up blocking the pavement.

The applicants have proposed running the new al fresco dining area over a trial period so the impact of the changes can be assessed.

A decision is expected by the end of December.