Jeremy Clarkson CLOSES restaurant on Diddly Squat farm after local council ruled against the venture

Jeremy Clarkson has reportedly been forced to close a restaurant on his Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds after receiving a compliance notice from the local council.

The former Top Gear host opened the restaurant in a barn last July on land he has owned since 2008, following the success of his hit Amazon series ‘Clarkson’s Farm’.

But residents in Chadlington, Oxfordshire, complained that the establishment was a ‘nightmare’, causing heavy disruptions and traffic jams that were out of keeping with the quiet rural setting.

Clarkson, 62, had his plans for the restaurant temporarily thwarted last year amid complaints from “zealous locals”, whom he called the “red pants brigade”, and a dispute over the building permit.

He managed to open the restaurant through what he called a “lovely little loophole” that allowed him to circumvent traditional planning laws.

But West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) have now brought down the hammer once and for all, with the petrolhead conceding defeat this week, according to the Mirror.

The restaurant’s closure will likely take a toll on Clarkson’s earnings, after it was revealed that Diddly Squat Farm posted its best year yet in 2022 ahead of the second season premiere of his hit Amazon series.

At Clarkson’s Farm, Jeremy works on his 1,000 acre plot, located between Chipping Norton and Chadlington in the idyllic Cotswolds countryside of Oxfordshire.

After just three years of trading, the TV personality’s farm has already amassed £1.34m in assets and 17 employees, whereas in 2021 the company had just £44,000 in assets and six employees.

MailOnline has approached Jeremy Clarkson, WODC and Diddly Squat Farm for comment.

Local residents were this week celebrating their hard-fought victory after more than a year of filing complaints.

A Chadlington resident said mirror: ‘It’s a victory for the community. I wish it would all be closed. We are just a small town and Diddly Squat Farm is in the wrong place.

‘We don’t need a theme park in an area of ​​natural beauty. The new year was ridiculous. You would spend about 20 minutes trying to get into the city.

Another added: ‘We’ve been plagued with traffic since he arrived. He caused a lot of upset with these restaurant plans. It’s just the arrogance of what you think you can get away with.

However, others have argued that Clarkson’s Farm brings business to the area and raises awareness of the difficulties faced by farmers in Britain.

The head of the energy company, Dan Duffy, 36, told MailOnline: ‘I feel sorry for him facing all these rules. They don’t make it easy for businessmen in this country.

“I think the objections are out of jealousy, as I don’t see how anyone could complain about a restaurant on the farm, it’s a beautiful place.”

Engineer Grant Filer, 60, recently visited friends and was disappointed to find the farm’s restaurant and cafeteria closed.

“We toured from Oxford after work so it’s disappointing,” he said, “I don’t think they should shut it down as I’m sure it would be very popular.”

Another woman, who came to buy some milk from a ‘cow juice’ machine outside the Farm Shop, said she thought the advice was being ridiculous.

‘I don’t see what the problem is,’ he said, ‘he is bringing business to the area. They’re lining up to get into his store, so it’s sure to be a hit.

And councilor Ann Gate also backs Clarkson, having written to WODC on behalf of ‘local residents who quietly support him’ to say he has ‘used his celebrity status to highlight the plight of the farming community’.

While Amazon Prime viewers are treated to plenty of hijinks and entertainment as Clarkson and his band of farming associates go about running the farm, the presenter also speaks highly of British farmers and sheds light on the difficulties facing the sector amidst government bureaucracy.

Speaking at the British Farming Awards at the end of 2021, Clarkson said: “Every time you sit down to eat something, you’re eating something made by British farmers.”

‘If there’s a red tractor on your food packaging, it was grown in Britain, so buy it because it hasn’t come a long way to get here.

“The Government is suspending subsidies and subsidies, so if they are not going to pay us to grow food, they have now lost their right to tell us what to do.

“They have to step back and allow us, I say us, but I’m still learning, but to allow people like Kaleb and Charlie (Clarkson’s team members who appear on the show), people like everyone in that award room, to make decisions that are better for where they live.