Jeremy Clarkson has hit a potential obstacle ahead of the grand opening of his new £1,000,000 pub in the Cotswolds.
Concerns have been raised The Farmer’s Dog could spark more traffic problems following the success of his Diddly Squat farm shop.
Queues lasting hours often form outside the 64-year-old’s business, while drivers are turned away from the farm’s car park due to limited capacity.
Locals fear the same could happen when Jeremy opens his boozer, which is located on a notorious dogging spot, tomorrow at 12pm.
On Facebook, Tat Seller said they were ‘delighted he’s breathing some new life into that pub’ but had concerns over traffic flow.
They explained: ‘I do worry about traffic though. I popped by the farm shop at the weekend. It was utter chaos.
‘The massive new car park was rammed as well as a new overflow one they have made in a field across the road.
‘We didn’t stop as the Marshalls in hi viz told us the queue was over 2 hours. I’ve been before on a busy day but this was insane.’
Echoing their sentiment, Andrew Scott asked: ‘What provisions are being made for the potential traffic issues with its highly potential popularity?’
However, county and district councillor Liam Walker said Jeremy had his ‘full support’ for the new venture as it would be a boost to the local economy and tourism in West Oxfordshire.
Insisting there was no ‘parking row’, he added: ‘I am merely doing what local residents would expect and working on getting mitigations in place to reduce traffic and parking issues ensuring lessons have been learnt from the farm shop.’
Oxfordshire County Council said it has worked ‘closely and pro-actively’ with Jeremy’s team ahead of the opening and had implemented several measures to reduce traffic flow problems.
They included a better footway to the nearest bust stop to encourage public transport use and asking motorists to only use designated parking areas rather than pulling up on roads or verges.
Many locals, however, were welcoming a new watering hole with Paul A Bradley saying on Facebook: ‘Cannot wait for it to open! I for one will support it fully! Full credit to him for supporting local farmers and businesses!’
Ian Loughborough agreed and added: ‘Great name and although my dog is not a Farmer’s dog, he will love visiting. Best of luck with the new venture.’
Shantelle Wilson also said: ‘I can’t wait to go and see the pub well done Jeremy and I love the new name x.’
Jeremy previously faced pushback over the years from locals in the West Oxfordshire area over his plans to allow greater visitor access to his farm and its attached shop.
The popularity of his Clarkson’s Farm, which documents the workings of his Diddly Squat farm – a 1,000-acre operation in the Cotswolds, sparked interest from tourists in seeking out the broadcaster’s produce, with queues for the shop reportedly a regular occurrence.
The TV star wanted to extend the car park on his Oxfordshire farm plot to accommodate 70 vehicles, but the proposals were originally opposed by West Oxfordshire District Council.
He also found himself in hot water with his local authority over a restaurant on his farm, with the council shutting it down after it was allegedly opened without planning permission.
Jeremy has said he plans to sell his own Hawkstone lager as well as produce reared on his nearby Diddly Squat Farm at the pub.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Jeremy’s rep for comment.
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