Oxford News
Jeremy Clarkson reignites council row with new farm plans bid
The star faced a much-publicised battle with the council to resolve car parking woes at his Diddly Squat Farm as visitors flocked to the site due to the success of the television series Clarkson’s Farm.
Permission was eventually granted on appeal in June 2023 to extend the temporary car park on land previously used for agriculture to deal with the influx.
Under the imposed conditions, Clarkson was ordered to return the land to its original state within three years, which would give them a deadline of June this year.
But with the ongoing success of the show, his team have now applied for planning permission to extend this deadline until the end of 2030.
READ MORE: TV celeb ‘hasn’t been back’ to Jeremy Clarkson’s farm after problem
The Planning Inspectorate approved the car parking extension to combat severe traffic issues on the surrounding rural roads, but refused plans for a permanent restaurant there.
His representatives said the original conditions needed amendment as season six has already been commissioned, which will air in summer 2027.
When the original permission was granted on appeal, the second series had just been aired, and the length of impact on the surrounding area wasn’t clear, they said.
His representatives said: “Season five will air this year, and season six has been commissioned and will air in summer 2027. Three further years to monitor and review thereafter seems appropriate.”
His team said the planning application to West Oxfordshire District Council was to amend two previously approved conditions.
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They added: “Both conditions impose a time limit on the operation of the site and use of adjacent land for car parking.
“The reason for imposing the condition is clearly set out in the Inspector’s decision letter, when considering the planning balance.
“That was to allow continued monitoring of the effects of the use and associated demand for parking, in light of the success or otherwise of the undertaking and in the context of whether the associated television programme would continue to be commissioned.
“At the time of the appeal, the second series had just aired, and it was renewed for a third series.
“The three-year time limit was chosen on the basis that if the third series was the final one, then two years of monitoring after airing was sufficient to assess demand.
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“It is currently renewed for the fifth series, which is yet to air.
“The site continues to be popular and attracts sufficient customers to warrant the provision of additional parking.
“It maintains the associated benefits to the farms and other businesses that supply the farm shop and café, and in turn the economic and social well-being of the wider area.
“The provision of the dedicated additional parking and careful monitoring by the applicants has also ensured that parking on the adjacent highway is precluded.
“The landscaping around the car park area has started to mature and assists in assimilating the site into the surrounding landscape and existing sylvan backdrop.”
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Clarkson’s team said there were ‘unique circumstances’ that should allow them a second temporary consent while acknowledging it wasn’t ‘normal to do so.’
They added: “In light of the continued popularity of the site and associated television programme, we are requesting a further extension of the limited period consents for the use and associated development to provide car parking.
“Whilst it is normal to only grant one temporary consent, it also confirms that it is justifiable in cases where changing circumstances provide a clear rationale for doing so.
“The application site is one such case and set of unique changing circumstances. The Inspector clearly identified that the association with a popular current television programme is a unique circumstance which generates a time-limited demand.
“The rationale is clear – at such time as the television programme no longer airs, then demand may reduce, and the parking required for the operation of the farm shop can be assessed and appropriate provision made.
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“It is true to say that the impacts of the car parking area and use are only associated with the number of customers, and as such, even if the temporary period consented is longer than ultimately required, that does not preclude earlier remediation if demand wanes.
“In any event, if the additional car park is not in use, it will not have the same landscape impact compared to when it is full.
“Given the advice of the Government that a series of temporary consents is less desirable, it is in our view prudent to allow a second period of appropriate length to cover the potential period of significant public interest in the site.
“We trust officers will support these proposals. If you wish to discuss any matters in this.”
No further documents or public representations have so far been submitted, and a decision will be made by West Oxfordshire District Council at a later date.
On Wednesday, September 2, it was the Concours judging and private viewings to dominate the agenda for the day.
Twelve Concours classes were held across almost a century of motoring, including The Golden Age of Motoring, 100 Years of Carrrozzeria Touring, La Dolce Vita, 60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura and Passione Ferrari.
Two new classes also made their debut for 2026, Rare Breeds of the Digital Age and Hypercar Heaven, which recognise the growing importance of contemporary performance cars within the international collector market.
Judging will take place across Wednesday and Thursday, with the show field bringing together a 70-strong collection of classics, supercars and hypercars from around the world.
Some of the cars include Aa Maserati 8C 3000, Alfa Romeo Sprint Berlinetta, a one-off Maserati 3500GT Spyder Prototipo by Vignale, a very early Porsche 356 Split Window Coupé, Aston Martin DB3S, Lamborghini Miura P400S, Bizzarrini 5300GT, Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, Bugatti EB110 Prototype, Aston Martin Valiant Prototype and the extraordinary Bugatti Bolide, one of just 40 produced worldwide.
Helen Pike has decided to step down as Master of Magdalen College School at the end of the 2026/27 academic year, the school in east Oxford announced in March.
MCS is one of the top performing schools in the country, ranking in the top 20 independent secondary schools in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2026.
READ MORE: UK private school headteacher to leave after 11 years
The new academic year will start next week, with Ms Pike preparing for one more year in charge before she hands over to her successor, who will take over in September 2027.
The first female Master at MCS, Ms Pike guided the board of governors to one of the most significant decisions in the school’s history, to become fully co-educational from 2027.
While there has been a co-educational sixth form at the school for 15 years, the school last month announced it will become fully co-educational over the coming decade.
Ms Pike said earlier: “I love MCS, and it is a perennial privilege to lead this remarkable school.
“Being Master of MCS is a brilliant job, and I am declaring my intention early in order to give MCS the very best opportunity to find the right Master for September 2027. I shall continue to do all in my power to further the fortunes of this wonderful school until then.
“I look forward to a new phase in my own professional life, one that builds on all that I have enjoyed and achieved in my career during the past 30 years.
“Having encouraged many cohorts of pupils to take sensible risks and to do something creative and different when the time feels right, I am doing just that.”
During Ms Pike’s tenure, MCS has been recognised as a Top 20 Independent School and South East School of the Year by the Sunday Times and won Independent School of the Year for Social Mobility.
Thanking her in his letter to the school community, chair of governors, Bob Price, said earlier this year: “Helen is an outstanding leader and will go with our sincere gratitude and warm thanks for her exceptional headship.
“She will leave the school in excellent shape for her successor.”
Recruitment for a replacement for Ms Pike is now under way.
Last month, Ms Pike congratulated pupils on their “outstanding success” in this year’s A-Level exams, after more than a quarter of pupils (43) achieved three A*s or more and 25 secured all A*s.
In total, 39 pupils from the 2026 cohort are heading to Oxbridge, while 22 have secured places to study medicine.
As part of the school’s expansion plans, MCS is preparing to build a new Science, Library and Partnerships building.
A spokeswoman said the new building will offer an exciting opportunity to reimagine the senior school site as staff look ahead to full co-education.
She added earlier: “With a vision to create a sector-leading science building in the centre of Oxford, the development will enable us to support an ambitious and forward-looking science curriculum, expanding to the emerging and rapidly advancing areas of robotics, AI and Big Data.”
Holding banners which read ‘For f**k’s sake, just stop oil’, the demonstrators took to the road in Parliament Square at noon today (Wednesday, September 2).
This was as Andy Burnham faced his first Prime Minister’s Questions, and many of the protestors glued themselves to the road.
The group demanded that the UK government stop approving all further oil and gas developments, and sign a Fossil Fuel Treaty to stop oil and gas extraction.
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Just Stop Oil say that the police are expected to arrest all those blocking the road, and that one lane has been left free of glued-on action takers to permit access for emergency vehicles.
Andy Burnham is due to make a decision on whether to allow more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Reverend James Crote, a Baptist Minister and grandfather from Chesterton near Bicester, said: “Today is my grandson’s first birthday. I have to take action for the sake of his future.
The 69-year-old added: “The government has been dilly-dallying about whether to say yes or no to the Rosebank oil field but, if we want a future for our children, there is no choice – it has to say ‘no’.
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“I am here as a Christian Minister because the Church has to speak out and demand that the government stops approving further oil and gas developments now. It’s time for us all to say ‘For God’s sake, Just Stop Oil’.”
Data from the Met Office indicates that 2026 was the hottest summer in UK recorded history, beating 2025, which was the previous hottest summer on record.
2026 was also one of the driest summers on record, delivering record-low food harvests.
Climbing temperatures have triggered wildfires across the country, and national fire chiefs said the wildfire risk facing the UK is “like nothing we have seen before”.
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Taking action, grandmother Victoria Ann Lynch-Staunton from Leamington Spa, said: “What is happening is beyond a tragedy.”
The 71-year-old added: “I beg everyone to join Just Stop Oil or governments will continue to prioritise endless growth and corporate profit over billions of lives – yours and your children.
“Wake up and smell the coffin. It is the responsibility of all of us to act now!”
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said today: “We are all Just Stop Oil.
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“Every single person who fears deadly wildfires, devastating droughts, and spiralling food shortages is Just Stop Oil.
“The first duty of government is to keep the public safe – but by greenlighting oil and gas drilling, they endanger our survival while corporates and billionaires laugh their way to the bank.
“Every one of us feels alone and powerless in the face of this insanity, but we know there is massive political and public support for our demand.
“So we’re inviting everyone to join us at an online call on 3rd October 2026 – because it’s when we work together that we are powerful and win.”
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