Lady Bamford's bid to expand her Daylesford lifestyle empire 'threatens to shatter the peace of the Cotswolds'

With its award-winning cheeses, craft sourdough bread, organic meats, a cafe and a cookery school too, Lady Bamford’s farm shop has made something of a name for itself among the well-heeled shoppers of west Oxfordshire.

The queen of all things organic has even opened a creche for her Cotswolds customers to deposit their children while shopping or busying themselves with appointments.

But her most recent plans for expansion have proved to be the final straw for residents of rural Moreton-in-Marsh, where Lady Bamford’s Daylesford organic lifestyle empire has its home. There are claims that her ambitions - which have seen Daylesford Organic Farms submit as many as 25 planning applications between 2006 and 2016 - threaten to turn the site into an "industrial complex in the middle of the countryside."

Councillors in west Oxfordshire have now rejected her plans to build a new office block at the site, along with an access road to Daylesford’s farm, which also houses the Bamford Haybarn Spa retreat, where clients can enjoy yoga, pilates and peaceful meditation. Some neighbours feared the new road would have a dramatic impact on the “tranquil rural character” of the area, increasing traffic and leading to more congestion on surrounding lanes.

West Oxfordshire District Council turned down the proposal, saying the new access road “would have an unacceptably urbanising impact on the landscape”. It said the proposals ran counter to the council’s duty to “conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the landscape”.

Councillors representing the parish of Kingham also objected to Lady Bamford’s plans for a new office block from which to run her green ventures, describing it as “a very large building, clad in wood, highly visible from most directions” and “not in keeping with the rest of the buildings on the site”.

All this would seem to conflict with Daylesford’s self-proclaimed mission to “work in harmony with nature and strive to protect its precious resources”. The firm says that “our connection to the earth is at the heart of everything we do” and that “we want to lead by example, farming, growing and producing according to sustainable organic principles because we want to care for the land we work”.

But this is not the first time Lady Bamford, who is married to the JCB billionaire Lord Bamford, a major donor to the Conservative Party, has run into criticism over her ambitious plans for Daylesford. As early as 2006 Cotswold District Council's planning committee expressed concerns that it was "becoming an out-of-town retail outlet", with one councillor, Rod Hooper, saying: "We could have one of the biggest retail shops in the area if we aren't careful".

There was further controversy two years ago, when the shop successfully applied for a late-night music and alcohol sales licence. Kingham Parish Council objected, saying that “the noise pollution could affect the peace and tranquility of residents," warning it could lead to large scale music events. Several people voiced their fears, with Michael Abel Smith, 79, who lives next to Daylesford, warning any plan to play loud music would be “an alien intrusion to what would otherwise be a rural and tranquil setting".

Lady Bamford - whose near neighbours at Daylesford include Viscount Linley; Alex James, the former bass player with Blur turned cheesemaker; and the artist Damien Hirst - recently opened a male grooming outlet in the City and has branches of her organic farm shops in Notting Hill, Pimlico and Marylebone.

A spokesman for Daylesford said: “We are looking to amend our plans and re-apply for planning.”