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Pippa Middleton feud with Kintbury villagers over planning disputes
Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthews face backlash in Berkshire village over planning disputes and royal behaviour.
In brief
Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthews face backlash in Berkshire village over planning disputes and royal behaviour. Pippa Middleton and James Matthews, the Princess of Wales' sister, face local backlash in Kintbury, Berkshire, over planning disputes and perceived royal entitlement. Originally reported by…
Barton Court Estate history
Barton Court Estate boasts a 32-room Georgian mansion, 145 acres of land, and a stretch of England’s finest chalk streams.
Pippa and James Matthews purchase estate
Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthews bought Barton Court for £15.5million in 2022 after Sir Terence Conran’s death.
Estate’s ecological claims
The estate website claims it aims to preserve ecological heritage through landscape rehabilitation and biodiversity promotion.
Local criticism of royal behaviour
Local resident Sir Max Hastings noted Pippa and James Matthews’ ‘stingy tipping, more-royal-than-royals behaviour’ has caused local gossip.
Car park dispute
The Matthews built a car park on a water meadow used by cross-shire horses for the Kennet and Avon Canal.
Local objections to car park
Residents claimed the car park was an ‘eyesore’ that disrupted the bucolic village landscape and violated planning laws.
Council refusal of planning application
West Berkshire Council refused the car park application, calling it ‘urbanising’ and ‘visually intrusive’ in a rural landscape.
Planning appeal rejected
A government planning inspector dismissed the estate’s appeal, noting the car park harmed the landscape and lacked financial justification.
Public footpath dispute
The Matthews erected electric gates blocking a public footpath used by walkers since the 1960s.
Footpath access conflict
Residents argued the path was a crucial link to the village church and provided safer walking routes than Station Road.
Footpath designation overturned
A government inspector overturned the public footpath designation, citing insufficient proof of recent usage.
Local resentment
Residents feel the Matthews’ royal status has led to a lack of accountability and disregard for local customs.
Matthews’ financial status
James Matthews is estimated to be worth £2billion and inherited the 10,000-acre Glen Affric estate in Scotland.
Local support for Matthews
Some villagers praise the Matthews for improving land safety and employing staff who are polite to walkers.
Matthews’ absence in village
Pippa and James Matthews have not been seen in Kintbury recently despite their children’s presence.
Local division
Kintbury residents are divided over whether the Matthews’ royal status and actions have improved or harmed the village.
What it means
Pippa Middleton and James Matthews, the Princess of Wales' sister, face local backlash in Kintbury, Berkshire, over planning disputes and perceived royal entitlement.