Jeremy Clarkson treated 'exact same way' as everybody else by planners amid Diddly Squat restaurant probe

10.08.2022 - 03:41 / msn.com

Jeremy Clarkson is being treated 'the exact same way' as everybody else claimed a council source after it emerged officials are still investigating the 'cunning little planning loophole' he used to open a restaurant at Diddly Squat Farm. A month after the former Top Gear star invited guests to book a £69 a head three-course meal his new restaurant, planners are still looking into whether the establishment complies with all the rules.

But insiders say the outspoken star is not being treated differently to anybody else. The TV presenter's original proposal to turn a lambing shed into a restaurant was turned down by planners in January amid complaints the proposal wasn't suitable for a rural site in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Read more: Jeremy Clarkson's new loophole restaurant is 'overpriced' pub grub says reviewerBut the TV star was determined to go ahead and on July 8 the cameras filming his Amazon Prime TV series Clarkson's Farm were on hand to see him open a restaurant in a small old barn in the middle of a field. He warned would be diners that most of the seating would be outside and it wouldn't be typical but the food would be good.

National reporters invited to the opening were told he didn't need permission from the council. They quoted him as saying: "We found a cunning little loophole - it’s a weight off my shoulders and appeals to my anti-establishment bent".

But as Jeremy and with his girlfriend Lisa Hogan jetted off on holiday cruising in the south of France, planners immediately opened a probe into whether the new restaurant broke any rules. A spokesman for West Oxfordshire District Council revealed it was looking into the operation to ensure it was within planning, licensing and food hygiene