Jeremy Clarkson ordered to shut farm shop and cafe at Diddly Squat after council row

Jeremy Clarkson has been ordered to shut the dining areas of his farm Diddly Squat after West Oxfordshire council said he breached planning laws.

The authority handed the presenter an enforcement notice in August after he opened a cafe and restaurant at the Chadlington site in July despite two planning applications being rejected. Mr Clarkson opened anyway after claiming he had found a “loophole”.

Diddly Squat has become famous for featuring in the Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm, but its transformation has irked the local powers who have said it falls foul of laws.

The council, on August 12, gave the former Top Gear star six weeks to undertake a catalogue of measures in order for the cafe and restaurant to remain.

They included the removal of tables used for dining, mobile toilets and landscaping materials, while it was also instructed to stop selling products that were not produced on the farm or within a 16-mile radius without council approval.

Now the West Oxfordshire authority has ordered the entities to pack up, saying they continue to operate outside of any agreement.

"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,” it said in a statement.

"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."

Mr Clarkson’s representatives said the council’s notions were “excessive” and the six-week period was “too short” for the changes to be made. They said six months would have been a more appropriate timescale.

He had opened The Big View cafe over the summer and large crowds have visited Diddly Squat — which has seen its farm shop also open to the public. The council rejected an application to extend the farm’s car park back in May.

Mr Clarkson has seen his appeal request accepted by the council and the case will be heard before the authority in the coming weeks.