Possible mass winter closures as energy bills balloon to 300 percent
Jeremy Clarkson appeals local council’s “excessive” closure notice of Diddly Squat Farm
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Pip Lacy to lead the Kitchen at Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat farm restaurant
Fear grows of permanent hospitality closures if the government does not provide more financial support for the sector #Hospitalityneedshelp
'British farming is going to have to fight very hard to survive'
TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has appealed against the closure of his Diddly Squat Farm restaurant in Oxfordshire after it was told to close by the local council.
Jeremy opened the cafe and restaurant at his farm in July, after initial planning applications were rejected.
Commenting on the venue’s status, he told the Sun newspaper he had found a “loophole” during the application period.
The Chadlington farm featured in the Amazon Prime Video documentary Clarkson's Farm, which has since attracted swathes of tourists to the area.
West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) issued an enforcement notice on 12 August which ordered the restaurant to close.
Following their decision, the council explained there had been an "unlawful" change of use and ordered the removal of chairs, tables, mobile toilets, and other materials.
The presenter was initially given six weeks to make the changes but has appealed the decision.
Representatives for Diddly Squat Farm said the use of the land was "lawful" and that aspects of the council's decision were "excessive".
Appeal documents argued that a map of the land issued by the council was incorrect and that the enforcement notice "should be quashed in its entirety as a result".
It added that the suggested six-week period to make changes was too short and would have "serious and detrimental impacts on the business and the livelihoods of those employed at the site".
It suggested six months as a "more reasonable" timeframe.
A West Oxfordshire District Council spokesperson said: "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. 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.”
They concluded: "The Council is pursuing enforcement action to ensure that planning laws are followed on the site in the same way as they would be for any other business operating across the district and within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty."
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Jeremy Clarkson appeals local council’s “excessive” closure notice of Diddly Squat Farm
Possible mass winter closures as energy bills balloon to 300 percent
Three Restaurant closures announced in one week
Pip Lacy to lead the Kitchen at Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat farm restaurant
Fear grows of permanent hospitality closures if the government does not provide more financial support for the sector #Hospitalityneedshelp
'British farming is going to have to fight very hard to survive'
