Jeremy Clarkson has warned that nearly 300 jobs across his businesses, including Diddly Squat Farm and the Farmer's Dog, could be at risk as he battles West Oxfordshire council over a planning application for his pub's car park.
The Clarkson's Farm star, 66, is in a dispute with the council over a request to lay hard standing in the Farmer's Dog car park ahead of winter. In his Sunday Times column, Clarkson said he had been offered a large amount of hardcore material to use as gravel, which would stop the land from becoming muddy during the colder months. However, he claimed he has yet to hear back from the council after asking for permission.
Silence from the council
Clarkson wrote: "So I'm sitting here today, with the rain falling, and we can't get permission. 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."
He added that he faces a similar problem with Diddly Squat, noting: "Nearly 300 people are employed by my various enterprises these days. And all of them want to know if their jobs are secure. And all we can ever tell them is: 'We don't know.'"
Planning system 'broken'
Clarkson also criticised the UK planning system, writing: "There's no doubt that the planning system in this country is broken, and I suspect it's because far too many people are invited to have an opinion on each application. We cannot allow the current system to go on. We cannot allow so many ill-informed people to have the ability to stop projects."
He confirmed that when planning to open the Farmer's Dog, he had contacted the police, the Environment Agency, Historic England, Natural England, the parish council, the local water company, the highways department and the county council for their opinions. Express.co.uk has contacted West Oxfordshire Council for comment.
