Jeremy Clarkson apparently U-turns on decision to appeal farm restaurant closure
Jeremy Clarkson has apparently submitted an appeal to West Oxfordshire District Council over the forced closure of his Diddly Squat farm restaurant.
The appeal seems to signal that, despite the television presenter announcing last month that he would not seek to reopen the restaurant, the long-running battle between Clarkson and the local council is not yet at an end.
Local councillor Liam Walker posted a picture of the appeals to Twitter and said: "All is not over yet… @JeremyClarkson has lodged an appeal against West Oxfordshire District Council for both farm shop car park extension & the enforcement notice for opening a restaurant without planning. The planning inspector will conduct the hearing in March."
Clarkson opened a cafe and restaurant at his Diddly Squat farm in July 2022 despite initial planning applications being rejected, claiming he had found a "loophole" in the regulations. However, the council issued an enforcement notice on 12 August 2022 which ordered the restaurant to close.
Clarkson previously appealed the notice before appearing to change his mind and writing to the council to state that he "no longer wished" to open the restaurant.
In a letter, the presenter-turned-farmer said he had planned to try a "highly ecological way of rejuvenating the soil" called mob grazing, but which would not be profitable unless he could serve the beef in a restaurant.
The Chadlington farm has featured in the Amazon Prime Video documentary Clarkson's Farm, which has attracted large numbers of tourists to the area.
Planning officers originally recommended the application be refused on the grounds that it "would not be compatible or consistent in scale with the existing farming business" and would have "a visually intrusive and harmful impact on the rural character, scenic beauty and tranquillity of the area".
Locals that opposed the application raised concerns that it would cause traffic problems, cause light pollution and result in "chaos and disruption". Those in favour argued it would provide a venue and employment for local people. The council received 53 letters of objection and 12 letters of support.
