Jeremy Clarkson fans fuming as Diddly Squat Farm restaurant closed
Jeremy Clarkson fans blast ‘jealous’ locals who complained about ex-Top Gear presenter’s ‘rule-busting’ Diddly Squat Farm restaurant as they slam ‘disappointing’ order to shut the Cotswold business
- Presenter told by West Oxfordshire Council he had six weeks to make changes
- These included removing mobile toilets and tables that would be used by diners
- But Mr Clarkson, 62, denies any breach and is appealing the enforcement notice
Jeremy Clarkson fans have blasted ‘jealous locals’ after the presenter’s Diddly Squat Farm restaurant in the Cotswold was forced to close following a slew of complaints from the ‘red trouser brigade.’
It comes after an enforcement notice by West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC), published on August 11, told the 62-year-old ex-Top Gear star he had six weeks to make a number of changes to the Chadlington site, which features in his hit Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm.
This included ceasing use of any part of the land as a restaurant or cafe, and the general ‘sale or provision of food or drinks to members of the public for consumption on the land’.
The local authority also said Clarkson should remove all portable toilets and all tables that would be used by diners, as well as ‘landscaping materials’.
It described an ‘unlawful’ use of the farm and said its ‘nature, scale and siting is unsustainable and incompatible with its countryside location within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’.
His war rumbled on on Thursday when council bosses accused him of ‘ignoring’ their orders by continuing to operate the cafe and restaurant. Fans were then left disappointed in the afternoon as they arrived to find them closed.
Energy company boss Dan Duffy, 36, told MailOnline: ‘I was in the area and thought I would call in as I am a fan. I feel sorry for him facing all these rules. They don’t make it easy for business people in this country.
‘I think the objections must be down to jealousy as I don’t see how anyone could complain about a restaurant here, it’s a beautiful spot.’
Jeremy Clarkson is appealing an order to close his Diddly Squat cafe and restaurant after council bosses claimed the business breached planning laws
An enforcement notice by West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC), published on August 11, told the 62-year-old Top Gear star he had six weeks to make a number of changes to the Chadlington site, which features in his hit Amazon Prime series, Clarkson’s Farm
Clarkson had previously blasted locals who ‘wear red trousers’ for objecting the lofty development plans for his successful Diddly Squat enterprise.
The town hall has also banned the sale of products, except those that are made on the farm, those made within a 16-mile radius of it, or others that the council has allowed.
Engineer Grant Filer, 60, arrived on Thursday with two motorcycling friends and was also disappointed to find farm’s restaurant and cafe shut.
‘We rode down from Oxford after work so it is disappointing,’ he said, ‘I don’t think they should be closing it as I am sure it would be very popular.’
Another woman, who arrived to buy some milk from a ‘cow juice’ machine outside the Farm Shop, said she thought the council were being ridiculous.
‘I don’t see what the problem is,’ she said, ‘he is bringing business to the area. They queue to get into his shop so it would be bound to be a success.’
Clarkson’s problem is that his planned restaurant is on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), where such developments are not allowed.
Local Conservative councillor Dean Temple, who sits on the West Oxfordshire district council planning committee that has served enforcement notice on Clarkson, said: ‘I told him that if he wanted to open the restaurant on the other side of the road that would be alright because it is not covered by AONB rules.
The council has described an ‘unlawful’ use of the farm and said its ‘nature, scale and siting is unsustainable and incompatible with its countryside location within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’
‘But I think he was after the confrontation because it would be good for his ratings so he went into battle against us.’
He added: ‘He’s an amazing fella but what he was asking for was not in the rules and we cannot make exceptions for him.
‘We have worked with him for a year and a half but he is in breach of planning rules and a formal legal notice was served on him two weeks ago.’
In the summer, Clarkson opened another restaurant in a cow shed, two fields away from his popular shop.
Diners were taken to their seats on trailers pulled by a tractor.
One local objector, who did not want to be named, said: ‘He invited 40 of us from the village and served us seven courses cooked by an award winning chef.
‘It was all filmed for his Amazon programme and the restaurant itself lasted barely a week. It was simply for the benefit of the cameras.
‘He is just constantly pushing the rules. He is not allowed to sell anything in his shop that is not made locally but he wants to sell his merchandise so he charges £20 for a potato and gives them a t-shirt for free.
‘He put it out that he was closing as a mark of respect for the Queen’s funeral but he never opened on Monday anyway. That’s how he chases publicity.’
Jo Hooley, 60, an estate agent who lives in the nearby village of Chadlington, said: ‘The cars that arrive for his shop and restaurant make life very difficult for us. People park on the sides of the road leading to the village and buses can’t get passed.
‘What I really find sad is how he has divided the village. Half the people are with him, half against him and it is all people talk about.’
Another villager, a woman aged 46 who asked not to be named, said: ‘His supporters can make life quite unpleasant.
‘I don’t think the rules should be changed for him. There are plenty of places where he could put a restaurant if that’s what he wants to do. I think all he really wants is to stir things up and keep his name out there.’
Agents working on behalf of Mr Clarkson and the farm have denied any breach of planning laws and are appealing the order, describing the council’s demands as ‘excessive’ in documents sent last month.
The council hit back Thursday with a strongly-worded statement, slamming the presenter for not following its orders.
He was told to cease use of any part of the land as a restaurant or cafe, and the general ‘sale or provision of food or drinks to members of the public for consumption on the land’
A spokesperson said: ‘West Oxfordshire District Council served an enforcement notice on the owners of Diddly Squat Farm in respect of planning breaches on the site on August 12, 2022.
‘Council officers have worked with the owner and planning agents of the business, over many months, to investigate breaches in planning control, advising on how the business can be operated in a lawful way and trying to reach a solution.
‘The business continues to operate outside the planning permissions granted and advice has been ignored. The activity has also had a significant impact on the local community.
‘The council is pursuing enforcement action to ensure that planning laws are followed on the site in the same way as they would be for any other business operating across the district and within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
‘It is the responsibility of the council to ensure that planning laws and processes are followed correctly. Over recent years the business has had several planning applications approved, where they are in line with national and local planning policy, and also some refused where they are not.
‘We work constructively and successfully with many businesses across West Oxfordshire, including farms, to help them operate within the national and local planning laws and policies that exist to protect the countryside and local communities.
‘The enforcement notice instructs the owners of the business to stop activity in breach of planning control.
‘The council has recently become aware that the owners of Diddly Squat Farm have appealed the enforcement notice, which is common practice in planning enforcement cases.’
It added an inspector will decide the appeal and the council will explain why it ‘considers the notice should be upheld and the appeal dismissed’.
The John Phillips Planning Consultancy wrote in their September 9 appeal against the enforcement notice that existing planning permission gives them the right to use the farm as a restaurant, and there has been no ‘material change’ to the land.
Bosses added that the map of the site produced by the council was incorrect and claimed the notice period provided wasn’t long enough to carry out the work required.
The appeal reads: ‘The suggested six week period is too short and would have serious and detrimental impacts on the business and livelihoods of those employed at the site. Six months is a more reasonable timeframe.’
The agents concluded that the order ‘should be quashed in its entirety as a result’.
A price list at the Diddly Squat cafe and restaurant today, which remains open despite the council’s orders
Papers served by the Planning Inspectorate show it has accepted Mr Clarkson’s appeal as valid and that representations must be made in coming weeks.
It is believed Mr Clarkson thought he was able to operate the restaurant after making changes to a barn on his land using a clause which allowed the use of farm structures to be tweaked from their original purpose without council-approved planning permission.
But WODC said in August it was investigating the restaurant after councillors rejected its initial planning application in January.
One council source, who refused to comment on the local authority’s ongoing investigation, told MailOnline at the time: ‘The council’s view is that the same planning rules should apply to everybody.
‘We will treat Jeremy Clarkson in the exact same way as any other resident of West Oxfordshire.’
On Clarkson’s Farm, the star works on his 1,000 acre plot of land, located between Chipping Norton and Chadlington in the idyllic Cotswolds countryside in Oxfordshire.
The former petrol-head appears to have settled for a serene farming lifestyle as part of his new hit Amazon Prime series.
But the show’s roaring success – and the opening of the popular farm shop – created chaos for villagers who complained of visitors clogging up the country roads.
Mr Clarkson’s representatives have been approached for further comment.
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