TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s application to open a restaurant at his Diddly Squat farm in Oxfordshire has been turned down.
Mr Clarkson, took over the running of his 1,000 acre farm in 2019 and recently submitted plans to turn his lambing barn into a restaurant.
“We have been told as farmers to diversify and that is exactly what this proposal is, it’s diversification of a farming business,” Mr Clarkson told the meeting with West Oxfordshire District Council.
Ahead of the meeting, the council received 53 letters of objection and 12 letters of support. Supporters of the application argued it would provide employment for local people.
Clarkson’s Farm is in an Amazon series which shows the difficulties faced by farm workers during the pandemic. The success of the series has led to large numbers of tourists visiting his Diddly Squat Farm Shop, prompting complaints from locals.
Locals opposing the application raised concerns that it would cause traffic problems, cause light pollution and result in “chaos and disruption”.
Seven out of 10 councillors voted against the application following planning officers saying it “would not be compatible or consistent in scale with the existing farming business”.
Planning officers were concerned the restaurant application would have a “visually intrusive and harmful impact on the rural character, scenic beauty and tranquility of the area”.