Pippa Middleton and Husband Ordered to Remove Unauthorized Car Park

Pippa Middleton and her husband, hedge fund manager James Matthews, have been ordered by West Berkshire Council to remove a car park they constructed without planning permission on their £15.5 million estate.

Angry neighbors in the village of Kintbury raised concerns with the council, stating they were not consulted before construction began last year on the land, which is part of the 145-acre Barton Court estate. The couple, who have owned the estate since 2022, had applied for retrospective planning permission for the car park, intended for anglers, arguing that the sale of fishing rights along the River Kennet was a significant income stream supporting the estate's upkeep.

However, the council ruled that the development was "visually intrusive and urbanised" and "eroded a measure of the open and undeveloped rural character" of the North Wessex Downs, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Residents expressed shock at the development, noting that 400 square meters of agricultural hard standing had been laid across a meadow previously known as the home of two heavy horses.

Objectors argued the car park was installed to move unsightly parking away from the entrance to the Barton Court estate and out of sight of the couple's residence, to the detriment of local residents and the heritage of Kintbury. Planners also noted that no mitigation measures had been put in place to protect the nearby river from adverse impacts.

This car park dispute is not the first time Middleton and Matthews have faced opposition from locals since moving to the area. They previously encountered resistance after restricting access to Mill Lane, a path that winds through their estate, which had been used by dog walkers and ramblers when the property was owned by the late Sir Terence Conran. The couple installed an electric gate and signage stating "Private: No Public Access" and "No Trespassing." This led to an application by 35 residents, supported by The Ramblers Association, for Mill Lane to be declared a public right of way, prompting an inquiry attended by Matthews.