Council warns Jeremy Clarkson fans against ‘dangerous’ parking by Diddly Squat Farm that could cause damage to countryside ahead of expected influx of ‘petrolheads’ to site of popular Amazon series
- Petrolheads warned not to park near Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm
- Oxford County Council asked fans to park respectfully in Chadlington
- Influx of fans are expected to visit as the new series of Clarkson’s Farm airs
Council officials have warned Jeremy Clarkson fans not to cause any traffic chaos by parking near the TV star’s Diddly Squat Farm ahead of an expected influx of fans to the site of his Amazon Prime show.
‘Petrolheads’ are expected to visit the farm in Chadlington, West Oxfordshire, as the second series of Clarkson’s Farm airs on Prime Video on Friday and the farm shop reopens after its winter closure.
Visitors are said to be parking on roads when the existing car park is full.
However, sharing a picture of damaged verges next to the site, Oxfordshire County Council posted: ‘If you’re visiting Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop in Chadlington from tomorrow, please park safely and considerately. Don’t park on the A361. It’s just too dangerous.
‘And please avoid parking on the verges of the narrow Chipping Norton Road as it causes damage.’
Petrolheads have been warned by a council not to cause traffic chaos by parking near Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm (pictured)
Sharing a picture of damaged verges next to the site, Oxfordshire County Council posted: ‘If you’re visiting Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop in Chadlington from tomorrow, please park safely and considerately’
Last year an application from Mr Clarkson, 62, to extend a car park at his farm was refused.
He wanted to increase the number of spaces from 10 to 70.
The plan also included new entry and exit points off Chipping Norton Road and a storage compound.
West Oxfordshire District Council refused the proposal in May 2022 and said it would have been ‘visually intrusive’.
Mr Clarkson bought the farm in 2008, but only took over the running of it himself in 2019.
He is currently appealing against the closure of the dining areas at the farm after it was ordered to shut by West Oxfordshire District Council.
In an effort to increase his annual profit on the farm (£144 last year) Clarkson has been diversifying in the shape of cows, more chickens and his own restaurant
Clarkson bought the farm in 2008 but it was run by a local until he retired in 2019, at which point the 62-year-old ex-Top Gear co-host chose to take over
Pictured: Book cover for Diddly Squat: A Year on the Farm
In the latest twist to an ongoing dispute around the high volume of traffic descending on rural areas around the farm following its appearances on Clarkson’s Farm, the council proposed to implement no waiting restrictions, the equivalent of double yellow lines, on the A361 and Chipping Norton Road.
A written response from Diddly Squat Farm said the measures ‘would have a fairly dramatic impact on our farm shop’ and recommended holding off until after the planning enforcement appeal, stating that an extension to the car park would solve the problem.
It added: ‘We must also consider what would happen if we ended up with parking restrictions on the road and no car park.
‘People would still come in great numbers and would have to park somewhere. West Oxfordshire District Council has made it very plain I can’t use any of my fields so what’s the alternative? Chadlington?’
The decision was delegated to Councillor Andrew Gant, the county’s cabinet member for highway management.
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He was recommended by council professionals to approve ‘continued working’ between the county, district and Thames Valley Police to address the issues ‘either through a reduction in visitors by car or suitable off-carriageway provision for parking’ with restrictions after that is completed.
However, Cllr Gant amended that to allow the county to proceed with restrictions when it felt appropriate.
In publicity interviews for Clarkson’s Farm Season 2, Mr Clarkson acknowledged not all locals welcomed his presence and referred to a public meeting he held there, during which his lack of farming credentials and celebrity status were scrutinised.
‘I can assure you, the people who spoke early on, I have emphatically not won them over. I lost them years ago,’ he admitted.
However, Mr Clarkson said there were ‘plenty’ of other locals who appeared to be more receptive, and even encouraging of his work.
He also reignited a row with his neighbours after he blamed Londoners who name their houses for leading the backlash against his Diddly Squat Farm and shop.
Ahead of the launch of the new series, Mr Clarkson also revealed that a number of locals are still less than impressed with his foray into farming, saying: ‘In a way, the village is divided.
‘As far as the farm is concerned, it’s split pretty neatly between those who have a house number – you know, 22 Oak Avenue or 3 Grove or whatever – who tend to support us, because we bring business to the area and jobs for their kids.
‘Some of them are more than happy to go have a nice pint with a lovely view just up the road. So that works.
‘If they’ve got a house name, they tend not to like us, because they tend to have moved here from London quite recently, and they don’t want crowds of people coming to the farm shop, so that seems to me to be the split.
‘That’s about as tightly as I can put it.’
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