Key Takeaways
- • West Berkshire Council has ordered Pippa Middleton and her husband, hedge fund manager James Matthews, to remove a 400 square metre private car park built for anglers on their Barton Court estate in Kintbury without planning permission.
- • The council ruled the car park was 'visually intrusive and urbanised' and 'eroded a measure of the open and undeveloped rural character' of the North Wessex Downs, according to the Daily Mail, citing council findings.
- • The couple had applied for retrospective planning permission, arguing that the sale of River Kennet fishing rights is a 'significant income stream' supporting upkeep of the 145-acre, £15.5 million estate.
- • The dispute is one of several between the couple and neighbours, including a separate fight over a closed public right-of-way on Mill Lane, which is subject to a Planning Inspectorate inquiry.
- • Planners cited 'no mitigation measures' to protect the river from adverse impacts, per council documents reported by The Times.
Summary
Pippa Middleton and her husband James Matthews have been ordered to dig up a private car park they constructed for anglers on their Barton Court estate in Kintbury, Berkshire, after West Berkshire Council found the development was built without permission. According to the Daily Mail, neighbours wrote to the council to protest that they had not been consulted before construction began last year. The estate, valued at £15.5 million and covering 145 acres, is situated on the River Kennet in the North Wessex Downs and has been home to the couple since 2022. The land was previously used for grazing by two heavy horses, Monty and Drummer.
The couple subsequently applied for retrospective planning permission, contending that revenue from the sale of fishing rights along the River Kennet is a 'significant income stream' that supports the upkeep of the land. The council rejected this justification, ruling that the development was 'visually intrusive and urbanised' and had eroded the rural character of the area. Planners also stated that 'no mitigation measures' had been put in place to protect the river from adverse impacts. Council documents, seen by The Times, show that residents described themselves as 'shocked' by the laying of 400 square metres of agricultural hard standing across the meadow. Objectors had argued the car park was intended to keep vehicles out of sight of the couple's home.
The car park dispute is the latest in a series of disagreements between the couple and local residents. After arriving in 2022 with their three children, the couple closed off Mill Lane, which had previously been accessible to the public under the prior owner, the late Sir Terence Conran, by installing an electric gate and posting 'Private: No Public Access' signs. Thirty-five residents, supported by the Ramblers Association, have applied for Mill Lane to be declared a public right of way, and a Planning Inspectorate inquiry began in May, attended by Mr Matthews, who argued that security and privacy concerns should take precedence. The Daily Mail has approached Ms Middleton and Mr Matthews for comment.
The couple subsequently applied for retrospective planning permission, contending that revenue from the sale of fishing rights along the River Kennet is a 'significant income stream' that supports the upkeep of the land. The council rejected this justification, ruling that the development was 'visually intrusive and urbanised' and had eroded the rural character of the area. Planners also stated that 'no mitigation measures' had been put in place to protect the river from adverse impacts. Council documents, seen by The Times, show that residents described themselves as 'shocked' by the laying of 400 square metres of agricultural hard standing across the meadow. Objectors had argued the car park was intended to keep vehicles out of sight of the couple's home.
The car park dispute is the latest in a series of disagreements between the couple and local residents. After arriving in 2022 with their three children, the couple closed off Mill Lane, which had previously been accessible to the public under the prior owner, the late Sir Terence Conran, by installing an electric gate and posting 'Private: No Public Access' signs. Thirty-five residents, supported by the Ramblers Association, have applied for Mill Lane to be declared a public right of way, and a Planning Inspectorate inquiry began in May, attended by Mr Matthews, who argued that security and privacy concerns should take precedence. The Daily Mail has approached Ms Middleton and Mr Matthews for comment.
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