Jeremy Clarkson appeals closure of Diddly Squat Farm restaurant

Jeremy Clarkson has appealed against the closure of the restaurant at his farm in Oxfordshire after it was ordered to shut by the local council.

The television presenter opened the cafe and restaurant at Diddly Squat Farm in July after initial planning applications were rejected. He told the Sun he had found a "loophole" in the regulations.

The Chadlington farm featured in the Amazon Prime Video documentary Clarkson’s Farm, which has attracted large numbers of tourists to the area.

But West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) issued an enforcement notice on 12 August which ordered the restaurant to close.

It said there had been an “unlawful” change of use and ordered the removal of chairs, tables, mobile toilets, and other materials.

Clarkson was initially given six weeks to make the changes but has appealed the decision.

Representatives for Diddly Squat Farm said that aspects of the council's decision were “excessive”.

Appeal documents alleged that a map of the land issued by the council was incorrect and that the enforcement notice “should be quashed in its entirety as a result”.

It added that the suggested six-week period to make changes was too short and would have “serious and detrimental impacts on the business and the livelihoods of those employed at the site”.

A West Oxfordshire District Council spokesperson said: “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.”

A planning inspector appointed by the secretary for state for levelling up, housing and communities is to decide the appeal.

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