# 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.
- Title: Pippa Middleton feud with Kintbury villagers over planning…
- Summary: Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthews face backlash in Berkshire village over planning disputes and royal behaviour.
- Keywords: pippa middleton, james matthews, kintbury, berkshire, planning disputes, barton court estate, west berkshire council, public footpath, water meadow, river kennet, royals, celebrity
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/lifestyle/article-16274573/Stingy-tipping-royal-royal-behaviour-vicious-planning-row-Inside-great-Pippa-Middleton-feud-engulfing-leafy-Berkshire-village-locals-divided.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-11-08T09:45:50+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: pippa middleton, james matthews, kintbury, berkshire, planning disputes, barton court estate, west berkshire council, public footpath, water meadow, river kennet, royals, celebrity
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Pippa Middleton and James Matthews, the Princess of Wales' sister, face local backlash in Kintbury, Berkshire, over planning disputes and perceived royal entitlement.