Clarkson says planning delays at Diddly Squat put nearly 300 jobs in doubt
In his Sunday Times column, Jeremy Clarkson said he is awaiting a council decision on a hard-standing car park for his pub and on the farm shop, and that nearly 300 employees want to know if their jobs are secure. West Oxfordshire Council had not commented in the coverage.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Jeremy Clarkson wrote in his Sunday Times column that he is in a new planning row with his local council, over plans to improve the car park at his pub, The Farmer's Dog, in Oxfordshire. Evening StandardN “Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he is in the midst of yet another planning permission row, over plans to improve the car park for his pub The Farmer's Dog.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ The IndependentLC “Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that he’s battling with his local council again over his Diddly Squat farm” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2Clarkson, 66, said he had been offered a large amount of hardcore, crushed material that can be used as gravel, and wanted to lay it in the field used as the pub car park before the winter rains turned it to mud. The IndependentLC “he had been offered a large amount of hardcore – crushed materials that can be used as gravel – to use in the field that he uses as his pub’s car park” Read at The Independent ↗ Evening StandardN “I wanted it in place before the winter rains turned the field into a mud bath” Read at Evening Standard ↗ Mixed · 2He wrote that the offer was time-limited, that his team had "rung", "begged" and "pleaded", and that the only reply was "silence"; he said the hardcore would be lost if the work was not done now, and customers would drag mud onto the roads all winter. Evening StandardN “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” Read at Evening Standard ↗ The IndependentLC “And all we get back is silence,” he wrote in his column in The Sunday Times.” Read at The Independent ↗
Mixed · 2Clarkson also said he has "similar problems" with the farm shop and is waiting to hear what the council will let him do on the property. Evening StandardN “Clarkson said that he was having "similar problems" with his farm shop” Read at Evening Standard ↗ The IndependentLC “currently waiting to hear back from the council about what they’ll be allowed to do on the property” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2He wrote that nearly 300 people are employed by his various enterprises and all want to know if their jobs are secure, and that all he can tell them is "We don’t know". The IndependentLC ““Nearly 300 people are employed by my various enterprises these days. And all of them want to know if their jobs are secure,”” Read at The Independent ↗ Evening StandardN “And all we can ever tell them is: 'We don’t know.'"” Read at Evening Standard ↗ Centre · 1The Evening Standard adds that he said owners of cafés, antique shops and guesthouses nearby, who rely on Diddly Squat's popularity, also want to know where they stand. Evening StandardN “So too do the owners of all the cafés, antique shops and guesthouses in the area who rely on Diddly Squat’s popularity for much of their business.” Read at Evening Standard ↗
Left · 1Clarkson argued the planning system is "broken", suggesting too many bodies are asked for an opinion on each application; he listed the police, Environment Agency, Historic England, Natural England, the parish council, the water company, highways department and county council as consulted over his restaurant plan. The IndependentLC ““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,””“the police, the Environment Agency, Historic England, Natural England, the parish council, the local water company, the highways department and the county council” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2The dispute follows earlier clashes: in late 2021 he planned to turn a barn into a restaurant, and planning officers said converting a lambing shed would be out of keeping with the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; the Independent reports the council rejected his application for a new car park and restaurant in 2022. Evening StandardN “planning officers said that converting a lambing shed into a restaurant would be out of keeping with the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ The IndependentLC “in 2022, the council rejected Clarkson’s planning application to build a new car park and restaurant” Read at The Independent ↗ Left · 1The Independent also notes that last year Clarkson was told he would need to clear several hurdles to improve parking if the changes were deemed "not to be an established lawful use". The IndependentLC “Clarkson was told he would need to overcome several hurdles in order to improve parking facilities at his farm” Read at The Independent ↗
Left · 1The Independent said it had contacted West Oxfordshire Council for comment; the claims about the council's silence come from Clarkson's column and neither article carries a council response. The IndependentLC “The Independent has contacted West Oxfordshire Council for comment.” Read at The Independent ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads on the jobs at stake and Clarkson's pleas to the council, with a headline quoting "We’ve begged", and sets the row in the history of his planning clashes.
- Emphasis
- The roughly 300 jobs, the council's silence, the history of rejected applications, and a request for comment from West Oxfordshire Council.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the nearby businesses Clarkson says also depend on the outcome, or his remarks about listed buildings and councillors.
- Charged language
- “We’ve begged”“broken”
- For example
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“Jeremy Clarkson reveals new row with council over Diddly Squat that risks 300 jobs: ‘We’ve begged’” — The Independent
“The Independent has contacted West Oxfordshire Council for comment.” — The Independent
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Treats it as a showbiz story about another planning row, quoting Clarkson's column at length, with a headline quote "It's going to kick off".
- Emphasis
- Clarkson's wry remarks on planning law and a councillor's light-pollution objection, the pub's role in the Prime Video series, and the 2021 Chadlington meeting.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not say the council was approached for comment; omits the Independent's detail of the 2022 rejection and last year's parking ruling.
- Charged language
- “It's going to kick off”“mud bath”
- For example
-
“Jeremy Clarkson reveals he faces new planning permission row: 'It's going to kick off'” — Evening Standard
“He didn’t care about the jobs that would be created, because in his mind, Saturn is more important.” — Evening Standard
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Clarkson wrote about the dispute in his Sunday Times column.
- The row concerns hard standing for the pub car park, with similar problems at the farm shop.
- Clarkson says nearly 300 people are employed by his enterprises.
- Clarkson's 2021-22 restaurant plan was previously blocked by the council.
Where accounts differ
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Whether the council has failed to respond
- Left
- The Independent reports Clarkson's claim that he has yet to hear back, and says it has contacted West Oxfordshire Council.
- Centre
- The Evening Standard reports Clarkson's account of "silence" from the council without a council response.
Jeremy Clarkson person
Says the council has not answered his requests, that the delay threatens the hardcore offer and leaves staff and neighbouring businesses uncertain, and that the planning system is broken.
“We cannot allow so many ill-informed people to have the ability to stop projects.” — The Independent
“Urgency, however, is not a word that’s fully understood by local authorities.” — Evening Standard
Left1 article
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Jeremy Clarkson reveals new row with council over Diddly Squat that risks 300 jobs: ‘We’ve begged’
Neutral Relays Clarkson's column with background on past council disputes and seeks the council's comment, foregrounding the jobs risk.
Centre1 article
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Jeremy Clarkson reveals he faces new planning permission row: 'It's going to kick off'
Neutral Light showbiz account that quotes Clarkson's column extensively, including jibes at councillors and planning law.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 26 Oct 09:51 First The IndependentLC Jeremy Clarkson reveals new row with council over Diddly Squat that risks 300 jobs: ‘We’ve begged’
- 26 Oct 10:49 +59m Evening StandardN Jeremy Clarkson reveals he faces new planning permission row: 'It's going to kick off'
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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