Jeremy Clarkson lodges two appeals with council over Diddly Squat Farm in Cotswolds
Jeremy Clarkson has lodged two appeals against West Oxfordshire District Council over his Diddly Squat farm.
The 62-year-old broadcaster is challenging both the council's refusal of planning permission to extend the farm shop car park and the enforcement notice it issued for opening a restaurant without planning.
Clarkson reportedly said in January that he no longer wished to open a restaurant - but the hearing for both appeals is still due to be conducted by the planning inspector in March.
Regarding the enforcement notice, a West Oxfordshire District Council spokesperson said: “On 12 August 2022 West Oxfordshire District Council served an enforcement notice on the owners of Diddly Squat Farm in respect of planning breaches on the site.
“Council officers 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 continued to operate outside the planning permissions granted and advice has been ignored.
“The Council is pursuing enforcement action to seek to ensure that planning laws are followed on the site in the same way as they should be for any other business operating across the district.
"The enforcement notice does not seek to prevent the operation of the farm shop to sell goods supplied by Diddly Squat Farm or local farmers.
“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 to protect the countryside and local communities.
“The owners of Diddly Squat Farm have appealed the enforcement notice, which is common practice in planning enforcement cases."
Commenting on the car park situation, the spokesperson added: “Diddly Squat Farm has also appealed against the Council's decision on a planning application for a car park which was submitted in March 2022.
“The Council will respond to the appellant’s grounds of appeal by setting out the basis for serving the notice, detail of the breaches of planning control and the reasons why it considers the notice should be upheld and the appeal dismissed.
"The determination of the Inspector is binding on the parties.”
Car parking at the farm shop has been a hot topic for some time.
Oxfordshire County Council urged visitors to park "safely" and "considerately" ahead of the shop's reopening to coincide with the second series of Clarkson's Farm.
Planning permission for an extension to the car park was refused by West Oxfordshire District Council in May 2022, with concerns raised over sustainability and its impact on the surrounding countryside.