Jeremy Clarkson has warned that nearly 300 jobs could be at risk as he faces renewed uncertainty over planning permission for his Cotswolds businesses. The former Top Gear presenter, known for Diddly Squat Farm and the Amazon Prime Video series Clarkson's Farm, says a lack of answers from West Oxfordshire District Council is creating mounting problems for his operations.
Urgent work on pub car park
Writing in The Times, Clarkson raised concerns about another confrontation with the council, four years after a dispute over plans to open a restaurant on his farm. His latest frustration centres on work needed to improve the field used for parking at his pub. He said he had been offered a large quantity of hardcore to create a firmer surface but needed to act before winter weather arrived.
With the offer available for only a limited time, he feared heavy rain would leave the field waterlogged and muddy, potentially causing customers to drag mud onto nearby roads. Despite repeatedly contacting the council to explain the urgency, he claimed he had received no response.
Clarkson wrote: "We've rung. We've begged. We've pleaded. We've explained that if we don't do the work now we will lose the hardcore and, all winter, our customers will be dragging tons of mud onto the roads. And all we get back is silence."
Jobs and wider impact
The presenter said the uncertainty extended beyond his pub, with questions also remaining unanswered about the future of his farm shop. He warned that the consequences could reach far beyond his own businesses, pointing to the people whose livelihoods depend on the visitors attracted to the area by Diddly Squat Farm.
"Nearly 300 people are employed by my various enterprises these days," he wrote. "And all of them want to know if their jobs are secure." Clarkson also highlighted the wider network of businesses that benefit from the influx of tourists, including coffee shops, antique shops and bed and breakfasts. He said their owners were equally unable to plan for the future while the situation remained unresolved. "And all we can ever tell them is: 'We don't know.'"
History of disputes
The latest dispute brings back memories of Clarkson's previous battles with West Oxfordshire District Council over the expansion of his farming operation. In 2022, the authority pursued enforcement action against Diddly Squat Farm, seeking the closure of its café and restaurant over alleged breaches of planning rules. The dispute followed the rejection of applications for a restaurant and an expanded car park, which would have increased the number of spaces from 10 to 70.
The popularity of Clarkson's Farm has since brought renewed attention to the planning disagreements. In 2023, Clarkson secured temporary permission for a car park for three years, before a further application sought to extend the arrangement until 2030. Oxfordshire County Council backed the proposed expansion earlier this year, citing expectations that demand would continue. The final decision, however, rests with West Oxfordshire District Council.
While Clarkson acknowledged that proposals to overhaul the planning system were being developed, he argued that the current arrangements were leaving businesses exposed to prolonged uncertainty. "There are now plans to overhaul the entire planning system, which sounds great," he wrote. "But we can't allow the current system to go on. We can't allow so many ill-informed people to have the ability to stop projects."
