Jeremy Clarkson wins part of Diddly Squat Farm shop battle

Jeremy Clarkson has won his fight against a local council to provide more parking spaces for customers going to his farm and farm shop – but has been refused permission to open a restaurant there.

For around a year the former Top Gear presenter has been trying to overturn West Oxfordshire District Council’s refusal of consent to expand the farm’s parking area, which was constantly logjammed owing in part to the success of his TV series Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon.

The overflowing car park caused fury among local residents, who often found nearby roads in Chadlington village difficult to navigate because of poorly parked vehicles. Other cars were left on roadside verges, damaging shrubs and borders.

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But the Government’s planning inspectorate has now consented to the extension of facilities at Diddly Squat Farm, a 1,000-acre site in the Cotswolds which was formerly part of the Sarsden Estate in Oxfordshire. However, a plan to add a restaurant near the farm shop was refused.

A report by the inspectorate stated that planning permission was granted for “an extension to existing parking area to formalise temporary parking and provision of new access arrangements”. It described the farm as having attracted huge interest and had become “a victim of its own success”.

The inspector, R J Perrins wrote: “It does not ask for an entrance fee or advertise as a leisure or tourist attraction, it is not comparable to, say, a Wildlife Park or miniature railway, which are reliant upon attracting tourists and paying visitors to be viable.”

Taking into account the views of neighbouring residents, he added: “I am in no doubt that this has caused a huge inconvenience for those who live nearby. It was clear to me that many people visiting on the day of my final site visit had no regard to the proper use of the highway, with verges being further churned up and traffic having to stop, as visitors walked in the middle of the road or cars manoeuvred into tight spaces.

“From that snapshot in time I am not surprised, as heard in evidence, that tensions have run high between some of those living locally and some visitors to the farm shop.”

Two series of Clarkson’s Farm have been shown on Amazon TV. A third series was commissioned last October, but will be filmed without the presence of Clarkson’s popular but acerbic right-hand man on the show, Kaleb Cooper. Although still involved in agriculture, has changed his career path to team up with the Royal Agricultural University to launch a new bursary for those looking to go into farming.