Council insists it is ‘fair’ to Jeremy Clarkson as new season of Clarkson’s Farm hits screens

West Oxfordshire District Council has insisted it is “fair” in its treatment of all planning applications as Clarkson’s Farm returns for its third series. 

The council has been criticised repeatedly on the Amazon Prime show for standing in the way of the presenter-turned-farmer’s attempts to diversify operations at Diddly Squat farm. 

His long-running bid to open a restaurant at the farm in Chadlington was finally thwarted by the planning inspectorate in June last year. 

Clarkson opened a café and restaurant at 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 ordering the restaurant to close.

Clarkson appealed the notice and said the restaurant was key to introducing a "highly ecological way of rejuvenating the soil" called mob grazing, which sees cattle moved around the farm to improve soil fertility.

He said introducing cattle to the farm would not be profitable unless he could serve the beef in a restaurant.

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".

Clarkson has repeatedly complained in the show that West Oxfordshire District Council’s planning department had frustrated his efforts to introduce new initiatives. 

In response, the council said: “As a planning authority, we have a responsibility to make sure that national and local planning laws and policies are followed correctly by everyone. We must be fair and so we apply the same laws and rules to Diddly Squat farm in the same way as any other business. 

“We have worked with the owners and planning agents of Diddly Squat farm for many years, offering to help the business with planning applications and supporting them to diversify and make changes on the site. We have approved many planning applications for the farm, including the lambing shed, a barn and the farm shop. We do not want to see the farm shop close and we were pleased to see all the local produce being sold there from local suppliers. 

“When we received complaints from the public that the lambing shed was being used as a restaurant without planning permission, we had little choice but to take enforcement action against it and other ongoing breaches of planning law or changes on the site which didn’t have planning permission.

"On appeal, the independent planning inspector agreed with our assessment that there was a harmful breach of planning control and the restaurant had not been opened with correct planning permission.

“The work Diddly Squat Farm is doing to highlight the wider challenges faced by farmers is commendable. We continue to support farm diversification to help local farmers bring in income and we have supported other farmers from across the district with their diversification schemes.”