Overview

• Rainier Developments has submitted a scoping report to West Oxfordshire District Council for up to 350 homes adjacent to Diddly Squat Farm beside the town’s cricket club, drawing fresh community objections.
• Long-time residents report overwhelmed sewage systems, chronic traffic congestion and difficulty accessing medical services as new housing proposals mount.
• This latest plan follows council approval of about 90 homes in 2023 and earlier clearance for over 100 dwellings by Gleeson Land, intensifying fears of unchecked expansion.
• Residents say an influx of high-profile figures, including Jeremy Clarkson and David Beckham, has inflated property prices and transformed Chipping Norton into a celebrity magnet.
• Several newcomers who relocated after watching Clarkson’s Farm now regret the move because few local amenities undermine the rural lifestyle they expected.