Pippa Middleton and Husband Ordered to Remove Unauthorised Car Park

Pippa Middleton and her husband, James Matthews, have been ordered by West Berkshire council to remove an unauthorised car park constructed on their Berkshire estate. The couple created the 4,000-square-foot hard standing on a meadow at Kintbury last year without obtaining planning permission.

Local residents objected to the car park, describing it as an "unsightly" feature and accusing the couple of the "urbanisation of the countryside." They argued that the development was out of keeping with the rural setting of the village and was an attempt to move unsightly parking away from their home.

The council agreed with the objectors, ruling in February that the car park had introduced an "urbanising and visually intrusive feature into a highly sensitive rural landscape." The Planning Inspectorate subsequently dismissed the couple's appeal, upholding the council's decision and stating the development was "directly harming the rural landscape."

Representatives for the estate stated that the car park was intended for use by fishermen and angling clubs, and that income from fishing rights is significant for the upkeep of the land. The estate, Barton Court, is a 145-acre property valued at £15.5 million, where Middleton and Matthews have resided since 2022.

This is not the first dispute between the couple and local villagers. They previously faced opposition after blocking a public right of way that traversed their estate, which caused dismay among ramblers and dog walkers.