Crime & Safety
Fans rally around Jeremy Clarkson after latest council decision
The 65-year-old former Top Gear and Grand Tour host has been given planning permission by West Oxfordshire District Council this week.
Mr Clarkson bought The Farmer’s Dog off the A40 in Asthall, near Burford, in 2024 for around £1m, opening it up to the public in the summer of that year.
And his Amazon Prime TV series Clarkson’s Farm covered the seemingly stressful opening of the pub for the August Bank Holiday.
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Unlike his Diddly Squat Farm Shop, the Farmer’s Dog hasn’t had the same level of planning issues with the local authority.
One planning application to put hard surfacing in both car parks was granted permission back in January.
His latest planning application sought permission to use a neighbouring field as an overflow car park ahead of the busy summer months.
West Oxfordshire District Council granted planning permission for Mr Clarkson on March 18.
The council said: “The Farmer’s Dog is an existing business on an established hospitality site, whose popularity encourages an exceptional number of visitors to the local area, in support of the local economy.
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“In the very unusual circumstances of this particular case, however, and noting the demonstrated present requirement for off-site parking, the public benefits of granting consent on a temporary basis are considered to outweigh the identified harms.”
Now, Jeremy Clarkson’s fans have rallied behind the latest move, praising the decision.
One online commentator via The Sun said: “I used the overflow parking a month ago and it was packed along with the pub and former Grand Tour tent. Awesome experience.
Another added via the Daily Mail: “Proves that Pubs can buck the trend.”
Via the Metro, another fan simply said: “Great!”
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Concerns had been raised by neighbours and a councillor over the traffic impact on Asthall and the A40.
Asthall Manor owner Rosie Pearson said there is “no reason to think that the high demand will drop any time soon” ahead of a new series coming in May.
Ms Pearson, who is also the West Oxfordshire Green Party leader, added: “The role of traffic marshals includes ‘manage pedestrian movements’.
“Upon observation, it is clear that this is not happening, and upon enquiry, the traffic marshals admit that the pedestrians are often not co-operative in having their movements managed.”
Widford resident Mark Leslie, who lives about one mile from The Farmer’s Dog, said he has “serious concerns” about the current parking and access arrangements.
READ MORE: We tried Jeremy Clarkson’s zero alcohol lager at his Cotswolds pub
He claimed they have created “significant highway safety issues” and called for them to be addressed.
But according to the district council, the highways authority, Oxfordshire County Council, disagreed.
West Oxfordshire District Council said: “The county highways team have dealt with the application on the basis that the traffic is not being generated by the proposal but is rather catering to existing demand.
“This affects what can reasonably be required in terms of supporting information.
“They have proposed conditions to mitigate traffic safety issues in terms of visibility, directional signage and ground coverage to prevent mud on the roads.”
Helen & Douglas House, which cares for terminally ill children and their families, launched its revamped clothing store on March 12.
The updated shop was opened by BBC Radio Oxford presenter Adam Ball and joins the charity’s refurbished homeware shop, which reopened last September and occupies the other half of the unit.
Baljit Dhindsa, head of retail at Helen & Douglas House, said: “We are delighted to unveil the refurbished space, which has been thoughtfully redesigned to create a brighter, more modern shopping environment while continuing our commitment to sustainability.
“The new layout allows us to showcase an even wider selection of clothing and accessories, with improved displays and more space on the shop floor.
“We have also enhanced accessibility within the shop, including adding an additional accessible fitting room to ensure a comfortable experience for all our customers.”
The reimagined boutique-style shop features a contemporary, urban-inspired design with vintage touches and improved backroom facilities, allowing for increased donations and more efficient sorting.
Proceeds from the store directly support Helen & Douglas House’s hospice care in Oxford and in people’s homes.
Ms Dhindsa said: “When you buy something from our shop for £5, this could pay for arts and crafts materials for local terminally ill children to make Mother’s Day cards whilst staying at the hospice in Oxford.
“Our spring collection is now in store so do pop in to checkout our great range of clothing and accessories and take a look at the wonderful transformation of our shop.”
Cotswold Wildlife Park was established by John Heyworth on the Bradwell Grove Estate and opened on Good Friday, March 27, 1970.
It began with 341 animals and has since grown to house more than 1,500 animals across 250 species.
A spokesperson for Cotswold Wildlife Park said: “We hope you’ll join us in celebrating 56 wonderful years of Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens and we’d like to thank our visitors for their loyal support over the years.
“We must thank them for all their support for more than half a century.”
From its early days on a shoestring budget, the park has expanded to include giraffes, which arrived in 2010 for its 40th anniversary, and rhinos such as D’ora, named during its golden jubilee year in 2020.
George the Aldabra giant tortoise is the park’s oldest and only original resident.
To mark the 50th anniversary, keepers made him a special cake during the lockdown.
The Wantage Orchestra Spring Concert at the Old Mill Hall in Grove was celebrated as “an inspired afternoon” with the highlight being a recital by 17-year-old Katherine Payne.
The young violinist has been described as a “virtuosic performer” and is in her final year at the Yehudi School of Music.
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She will go on to study violin further once she turns 18 and is the recipient of many prizes including the Celia Walker overall prize.
Ms Payne was the leader of the Thames Valley Youth Orchestra and was playing on a Castagneri violin and a Morizot bow, sponsored by the Cherubim Trust.
Typically these violins sell at auction for between £5,000 and £15,000.
At the performance on Saturday, March 21 there was standing room only with Beethoven’s Symphony no.7 and Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie being played.
Conductor Christopher Fletcher Campbell called it “an inspired afternoon”, with home made cakes made available at the interval
One audience member said: “We enjoyed the Wantage Orchestra concert yesterday.
“Lovely programme, and Katherine was very accomplished. Good to see it so well supported.”
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Another added: “What a wonderful afternoon performance, beautiful sunshine outside and amazing performance inside.
“The choice of pieces brought out the best from everyone and they bought enjoyment to us all. Thank you I look forward to future concerts.”
The group’s next concert will be on Sunday, July 5 at 7pm at The Wantage Parish Church, with more information available on its website.
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