Just three months after introducing it to the public, Jeremy Clarkson has been told to close the cafe and restaurant on his renowned Diddly Squat Farm.
Why close it down?
The former Top Gear host and the West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) have been at odds over his 1,000-acre Cotswolds farm for a while.
However, after some wrangling and some success, Jeremy was able to open his Diddly Squat Farm restaurant in July because to a “delightful little loophole.”
A few months later, the contentious broadcaster received a directive from the council to close the outside restaurant due to alleged planning law violations.
The WODC served Clarkson with a notice in August directing him to make a number of improvements to his diner, including getting rid of all portable restrooms and dining tables.
It also required the farm, which viewers may recognize from Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime Video, to stop selling goods that weren’t produced there or nearby, with a few exceptions.
The WODC released the following statement: “Council officers have worked with the owner and planning agents of the business over many months to examine planning control violations, advising on how the business can be managed in a legal manner and trying to find a solution.
“The action has also had a major impact on the local community, the business continues to operate beyond the planning permissions provided, and advice has been disregarded.”
The agents for Jeremy Clarkson’s farm have disputed any violations of the planning laws and asserted that the six-week window they were given to implement the new set of requirements was insufficient.
The Clarkson team intends to challenge the council’s decision.
The neighborhood council initially opposed Clarkson’s plans to open the diner before it actually debuted in July. The motorhead was able to open the eatery despite the initial setback.
He said in a statement to The Sun at the time: “Although our request for planning approval was denied, we are still opening.
“After spending the previous three months studying planning laws, everyone at Diddly Squat has discovered a cute little loophole.
Instead of incurring losses, “We’re going to sell everything we generate on the farm and finally make some profit from the goods we raise.”