FARMER CHARMER
Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb charms Rishi at No10 as Diddly Squat eyes planning rules boost
TV’s Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper takes stock at No 10 yesterday — as PM Rishi Sunak vowed to help farmers diversify.
Kaleb and his Diddly Squat Farm boss Jeremy Clarkson would no longer need council permission to turn barns into shops or restaurants under new proposals.
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Rishi said at the farm-to-fork summit: “We want to give farmers greater freedoms to make best use of their buildings.”
Amazon star Mr Clarkson previously told of his planning hell around turning some of his Cotswolds land into a farmshop - with irate councillors repeatedly blocking his plans.
And he was recently forced to shut down his farm restaurant - opened in an old barn - by the council, who said its "nature, scale and siting" was not compatible with its countryside location.
Parents have united to back his plans - to stop tourists putting kids at risk.
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Scores of people now regularly flock to the farm and shop, made famous on the Prime show Clarkson's Farm.
West Oxfordshire District Council has also refused to grant him permission to extend the shop's parking, leading to huge queues and people parking all the way up nearby roads.
But they say it would encourage more people to visit and add to traffic woes.
As part of a package of measures to help struggling farmers, ministers will this year come forward with a call for evidence to cut the red rape currently holding farmers back from delivering projects on their land.
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Clarkson recently used a column he writes for the Sunday Times to reveal his "last roll of the dice" as he faces financial worries over the future of his Diddly Squat Farm, a 1,000-acre operation in the Cotswolds.
No10 said last night: "The idea is that farmers will not have to get local permission when they are trying to diversify their business, whether that is shops or farm shops.
"We know authorities have posed challenges for some.
"Where there is both supporting local communities and good for the UK economy, the government will not stand in their way."
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