Jeremy Clarkson fans were disappointed on Thursday as they arrived to find the Diddly Squat Farm restaurant and cafe closed by orders of the West Oxfordshire District Council....
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Daily Mail
2022-10-07T00:01:27Z
It comes after an enforcement notice by West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC), published on August 11, told the 62-year-old ex-Top Gear star he had six weeks to make a number of changes to the Chadlington site, which features in his hit Amazon Prime series Clarkson's Farm.
This included ceasing use of any part of the land as a restaurant or cafe, and the general 'sale or provision of food or drinks to members of the public for consumption on the land'.
The local authority also said Clarkson should remove all portable toilets and all tables that would be used by diners, as well as 'landscaping materials'.
It described an 'unlawful' use of the farm and said its 'nature, scale and siting is unsustainable and incompatible with its countryside location within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'.
His war rumbled on on Thursday when council bosses accused him of 'ignoring' their orders by continuing to operate the cafe and restaurant. Fans were then left disappointed in the afternoon as they arrived to find them closed.
Energy company boss Dan Duffy, 36, told MailOnline: 'I was in the area and thought I would call in as I am a fan. I feel sorry for him facing all these rules. They don't make it easy for business people in this country.
'I think the objections must be down to jealousy as I don't see how anyone could complain about a restaurant here, it's a beautiful spot.'
Clarkson had previously blasted locals who 'wear red trousers' for objecting the lofty development plans for his successful Diddly Squat enterprise.
The town hall has also banned the sale of products, except those that are made on the farm, those made within a 16-mile radius of it, or others that the council has allowed.
Engineer Grant Filer, 60, arrived on Thursday with two motorcycling friends and was also disappointed to find farm's restaurant and cafe shut.
'We rode down from Oxford after work so it is disappointing,' he said, 'I don't think they should be closing it as I am sure it would be very popular.'
Another woman, who arrived to buy some milk from a 'cow juice' machine outside the Farm Shop, said she thought the council were being ridiculous.
'I don't see what the problem is,' she said, 'he is bringing business to the area. They queue to get into his shop so it would be bound to be a success.'
Clarkson's problem is that his planned restaurant is on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), where such developments are not allowed.
Local Conservative councillor Dean Temple, who sits on the West Oxfordshire district council planning committee that has served enforcement notice on Clarkson, said: 'I told him that if he wanted to open the restaurant on the other side of the road that would be alright because it is not covered by AONB rules.
'But I think he was after the confrontation because it would be good for his ratings so he went into battle against us.'
He added: 'He's an amazing fella but what he was asking for was not in the rules and we cannot make exceptions for him.
'We have worked with him for a year and a half but he is in breach of planning rules and a formal legal notice was served on him two weeks ago.'
In the summer, Clarkson opened another restaurant in a cow shed, two fields away from his popular shop.
Diners were taken to their seats on trailers pulled by a tractor.
One local objector, who did not want to be named, said: 'He invited 40 of us from the village and served us seven courses cooked by an award winning chef.
'It was all filmed for his Amazon programme and the restaurant itself lasted barely a week. It was simply for the benefit of the cameras.
'He is just constantly pushing the rules. He is not allowed to sell anything in his shop that is not made locally but he wants to sell his merchandise so he charges £20 for a potato and gives them a t-shirt for free.
'He put it out that he was closing as a mark of respect for the Queen's funeral but he never opened on Monday anyway. That's how he chases publicity.'
Jo Hooley, 60, an estate agent who lives in the nearby village of Chadlington, said: 'The cars that arrive for his shop and restaurant make life very difficult for us. People park on the sides of the road leading to the village and buses can't get passed.
'What I really find sad is how he has divided the village. Half the people are with him, half against him and it is all people talk about.'
Another villager, a woman aged 46 who asked not to be named, said: 'His supporters can make life qu