Jeremy Clarkson's bid for car park at Diddly Squat farm backed by parents after series of 'near-misses on school run'
21 March 2023, 06:03 | Updated: 21 March 2023, 06:22
Jeremy Clarkson's bid for a temporary car park at Diddly Squat farm has received a boost after a group of parents warned a lack of parking is a danger for locals.
The television presenter has applied for a temporary car park at Diddly Squat after the council rejected his original plans for a permanent one.
The temporary plans would see a 60mx32m field next to the farm shop turned into a car park, facilitating 70 vehicles until January 2025.
Worried parents living near the farm have urged West Oxfordshire District Council to allow the temporary car park to go ahead after a series of 'near-misses' on the school run, the Mail reports.
One neighbour who lives directly opposite said: "I and at least ten others drive past four times a day to take our children to and from Chadlington School.
"I have absolutely no objection to Mr Clarkson's farm, farm shop or restaurant and wish him all the luck with it, the problem I and many others have is the parking.
"Many times we've not been able to get to and from the school where visitors to Diddly Squat have parked both sides of the verges, not allowing space for cars to drive past and certainly no space should an emergency vehicle need to get through, posing a significant risk to residents of Chadlington."
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They said that they have had to "come to a sudden and abrupt stop" due to people in parked cars swinging their doors open.
"Just last week a mini bus drove around a parked coach onto my side of the road and I had to drive into the hedge to avoid being hit by the mini bus head on," the neighbour added.
"My children were in the car on the way home from school and shaken up - the mini bus driver did not stop to check us. Thankfully we were all OK and my husband repaired our car".
Another neighbour echoed these sentiments, saying they are unable to get through parked cars on the way to school.
"It's is not safe at all and the only solution is to allow him the car park," they said.
On Friday, cars were forced to park on the roadside outside the farm shop, surrounded by torn-up grass, puddles and mud.
WODC opposes Clarkson's proposals on the basis that they would encourage more visitors to the area, increasing traffic problems in the Chadlington and Chipping Norton areas.
Accommodating more vehicles would also disrupt the tranquility of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the council claims.
A spokesperson for Clarkson said a short-term compromise was needed while they try and find for a permanent solution.
They said: "Whilst there is an application for a permanent car park currently at appeal, the decision on that may be some time away."
