Clarkson's Farm controversies – locals 'outraged', planning row and parking battle

Jeremy Clarkson has attracted fans from all over the UK to his Diddly Squat Farm – but the site has not been without its controversies.

Diddly Squat Farm has been the subject of Prime series Clarkson’s Farm, delighting fans of the Top Gear host who have since travelled to visit the location in person.

However, host Jeremy has been locked in a number of battles since the farm opened – including a planning permission row over a restaurant and locals complaining over an increase in traffic in the local area.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson flogging booze made from cow’s milk for £39 as Amazon show ‘axed’

Here, Daily Star takes a look at some of the controversies involving Clarkson’s Farm.

Local villagers ‘outraged’

Villagers living near Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington, near Chipping Norton were left outraged after toursits visiting the destination were causing traffic delays for locals.

Fans of The Grand Tour presenter have flocked from all over the country to buy produce from the Diddly Squat Farm Shop since it opened.

However, the influx of visitors caused hours of delays for locals on the nearby roads, with the council even putting up bright orange traffic cones down the country roads, in a bid to stop people parking on the grass verges when they visit the farm.

Jeremy later took to Twitter to apologise for the traffic problems, saying: “People of Chadlington. I’m truly sorry about the traffic around our farm shop last weekend. We are doing everything we can to improve the situation.”

Driving off in ‘fit of rage’

During the grand opening of his Diddly Squat Farm restaurant, Jeremy Clarkson drove off in a ‘fit of rage’.

The moment, which aired as part of the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm, saw Jeremy and his co-stars opening the new restaurant – before the former Top Gear host became flustered after encountering a series of problems.

The team were met with electrical faults in the kitchen, which affected the preparation of visitor’s dishes, as more cars pulled up to the restaurant in the hope of being served.

As visitors grew impatient, Jeremy could be seen launching into a rant before choosing to remove himself from the situation and driving off in his car.

Before driving off, Jeremy could be heard asking if he could get rid of a mop and bucket from the premises, to which someone responded: “I think we need to mop the floor first.”

Jeremy then replied: “We can’t, the guests are here. F*** it, it’s a farm.”

The Grand Tour host could then be heard saying to someone else: “Here’s a tip if you have got a job to do, get out of the car and f****** run because we need to move this car.”

Jeremy soon reflected on his rant in a voiceover on the programme, saying: “At this point, I realised that my inner Gordon Ramsey was doing more harm than good.

“So I made a decision.”

The host then told Charlie Ireland, “I’m going to move myself now,” before getting into his car and driving away from the restaurant.

However, Jeremy soon returned to the restaurant to welcome some of his guests and had calmed down as food was able to be prepared again.

The visitors also provided the team with kind words about the restaurant and the food.

Planning permission row

Jeremy encountered problems with the Diddly Squat Farm restaurant prior to its opening, including a battle with the local council to open the site.

In January 2022, the presenter’s application to open a restaurant on the site was rejected by West Oxfordshire District Council.

He had originally submitted an application to create a 50-cover restaurant with a kitchen, servery and seating area inside a lambing shed at Diddly Squat farm.

The plans also included an extension to the existing car park in order to deal with an increase in visitor numbers to the site.

A total of 69 objections were made against the plans, with the application subsequently rejected by the local council.

However, Jeremy opened the restaurant in July 2022, after the star said he had discovered a “loophole”, but was ordered to close it in August of the same year by West Oxfordshire District Council, who said it was in breach of planning laws.

Sky News reported that an enforcement notice said the restaurant opening meant there was a “material change of use”, to the site and that the parking, toilets, and traffic are “visually intrusive and harmful to the rural character, scenic beauty and tranquility” of the Cotswold AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty).

“The unlawful use of Diddly Squat Farm by reason of its nature, scale and siting is unsustainable and incompatible with its open countryside location.”

The host was told to shut the restaurant, or anything selling food to be consumed on the farm, and also ordered to remove dining tables, chairs, parasols and picnic tables.

Jeremy has since lodged an appeal against the notice, with agents for the presenter saying that the developments at the property were not in breach of planning laws.

Parking application battle

Visitors to Diddly Squat Farm were given a warning from Oxfordshire County Council, after cars parking on the busy roads was posing a safety risk and causing damage to the environment.

Visitors were said to be parking on grassy verges and roads if the car park was full, leading Oxfordshire County Council to post a warning on social media.

Taking to Twitter, the council said: “If you’re visiting Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop in Chadlington from tomorrow, please park safely and considerately.

“Don’t park on the A361. It’s just too dangerous. And please avoid parking on the verges of the narrow Chipping Norton Road as it causes damage.”

Host Jeremy had originally applied to extend the car park on his farm from 10 spaces to 70, but the council refused the application in May 2022, saying it would have been “visually intrusive.”

However in March 2023, Yorkshire Live reported that locals were publicly backing the car park plans at Diddly Squat Farm, after Jeremy applied for a temporary car park to host 70 spaces until 2025.

Following the application for a temporary car park, a spokesperson for Clarkson: “Whilst there is an application for a permanent car park currently at appeal, the decision on that may be some time away.”

They said the temporary car park would help the location to to cope with the extra demand and interest due to the success of the new series of Clarkson’s Farm, adding: “This application therefore proposes a temporary change of use of one area of land to the shop adjacent to facilitate safe and convenient parking to meet this short term demand.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk