Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat restaurant probed by council over planning loophole

8 August 2022, 16:23

Jeremy Clarkson's ‘small’ restaurant on his farm in the Cotswolds is being investigated by his local council following comments he made on Twitter.

The restaurant, described on its’ website as ‘small’ and ‘mostly outdoors’, was opened in July after the council rejected Mr Clarkson’s original proposals to convert his lambing barn.

Planners felt the plans would be ‘out of keeping’ with the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding National Beauty.

But the Clarkson's Farm star tweeted to say that a revised smaller restaurant had been opened, later saying that he had found a ‘delightful little loophole’ in the planning process.

The restaurant says it has 'no menu' as such but that customers 'will be given a selection of snacks and starters followed by a roast and a pudding'.

The council is now looking into the 40-seat restaurant.

A spokesman said: "The council was made aware of the restaurant opening at Diddly Squat Farm.

"As part of our standard operating procedure, we have been looking into the operation to ensure it is compliant with local and national planning law and policies, as well as licensing and food hygiene regulations.

“We cannot comment on any ongoing investigations.”

The farm featured on Amazon’s popular TV series ‘Clarkson’s Farm’, which follows The Grand Tour host over his first farming year.

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Clarkson has spoken previously of his frustration with the council even sending a video message to Prime Minister Boris Johnson:

He said: “In the next Parliament I would like to see the government prioritising farming.

“We’ve been asked to diversify and when we try to do that, the local authorities tell us that we can’t.”

Clarkson applied for permission to open the restaurant to help diversify the farm’s income sources, in light of the fact that government agricultural subsidies are due to be phased out by 2028.

The Prime Minister responded to Clarkson’s video with his own video in which he said that he wanted to make sure that the ‘computer does not say no’ when farmers want to ‘turn a barn into a bistro’.