TV Star Jeremy Clarkson will attend a meeting in the village close to his farm shop Diddly Squat to answer concerns from locals about his farm shop.
Posters have gone up around Chadlington saying: “As there seems to be some debate in the village about what’s going on at Diddly Squat, Jeremy Clarkson will be at the Memorial Hall to explain his plans and to take any questions you may have. Everybody from the area is welcome to attend.”
It adds: “Cheese and wine will be provided.”
Initially posted on the village community Facebook page, one wag suggested that the meeting would be packed, joking that instead of the Memorial Hall he would need the Royal Albert Hall.
Fans from all over the country have been queuing up for two-and-a-half hours to get inside the Diddly Squat shop since the launch of the hit Amazon Prime show Clarkson’s Farm, provoking some complaints from neighbours.
And Mr Clarkson has applied for planning permission to develop the site.
He recently applied to make external alterations to one of the buildings.
Chadlington parish council said it has no objections but, if approved, “this should not confirm a change of use status for this agricultural building”.
It pointed out that in November 2020 an application had been made to convert a lambing shed adjacent to the shop into a café and in February 2021 for a licence to sell alcohol and provide entertainment.
They added: “The parish council remains concerned regarding the effect of the incremental development at this location, both upon the local community, its existing shops and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
“The number of cars currently visiting this site is already substantial, often filling the existing available parking space and overflowing onto the Chipping Norton Road, which is hardly desirable in an AONB and creates a significant risk that accidents will occur.”
Villagers are divided over the impact of the shop with some saying it has put Chadlington on the map and boosted the local economy.
Searches for homes to buy in Chadlington jumped by 511 per cent in June 2021, when compared to the same period in 2020, according to property website Rightmove.
The website suggested viewers have been captivated by the local countryside and looked at homes for sale in and around the area where Clarkson’s Farm is filmed.
But in June, police were called out after huge queues formed near the farm and furious local residents took to social media to complain about the traffic.
The meeting is at Chadlington Memorial Hall at 7pm.
