Pippa Middleton husband opposes Barton Court footpath application
James Matthews told a planning inquiry in Hungerford that pippa middleton’s family home at Barton Court needs a higher level of security as he opposed a bid to designate part of the drive in Kintbury, West Berkshire, as a public footpath. He said the route is rarely used and that his family’s public profile requires tighter protection.
The dispute now turns on whether the land has been used by the public for 20 years without force, secrecy or permission, or whether the evidence shows a landowner dedicated it and the public accepted that dedication. West Berkshire Council has said a footpath can be deemed to exist on either basis.
Matthews at Kintbury Coronation Hall
Matthews said at the inquiry at Kintbury Coronation Hall in Hungerford that Barton Court was bought in August 2022 and an electric security gate was installed the following month. Pippa Middleton and Matthews moved to the property in autumn 2022.
He said nothing in the conveyancing process alerted him to any public use of the drive when he bought the property. He also said neighbours raised no objections when the gate was installed.
“There are implications for my family, due to their high public profile, which means there is a need for a higher level of security than would otherwise be the case if the circumstances were different,” Matthews told the inquiry.
West Berkshire Council test
West Berkshire Council told the inquiry that a public footpath can be recognised if it has been used by the public for an uninterrupted period of 20 years without force, secrecy or permission. The council also said a route can be designated if evidence shows a landowner dedicated it in the past and the public accepted that dedication by using it.
The council found that the order route was reasonably alleged to exist as a public right of way. That finding keeps the Barton Court dispute focused on use, access and the legal test applied to the drive rather than on the gate itself.
David Hill at Barton Court
David Hill, who was the estate manager for Barton Court between 2016 and 2022, said he did not recall regularly encountering people on the drive who were being told not to be there. He said there was no consistent pattern of people coming and going.
Hill said he occasionally came across someone who appeared to be lost or unaware that they should not be there. “It’s hard to estimate but probably one person every two to three months although sometimes not as often as that,” he told the inquiry.
Matthews said that after the footpath application there has been a continued need to enhance security, and that the gates at Station Road were upgraded in the summer of 2025 and kept closed. The planning inquiry will now weigh that security case against the evidence of use at Barton Court.
