Pippa Middleton has been notably absent from the ongoing Planning Inspectorate hearing where her husband James Matthews is fighting to keep a contested footpath on their Berkshire estate closed to the public.
The hedge fund manager and former racing driver has attended the first three days of proceedings at Kintbury Coronation Hall without his wife, the Princess of Wales’s sister.
The couple, who share three children, purchased the Grade I-listed Barton Court and its 145 acres from the late Habitat founder Sir Terence Conran in 2022 for a reported £15 million.
The six-day hearing will determine whether Mill Lane, a pathway running through the sprawling property, should be designated a public right of way by West Berkshire Council.
Pippa Middleton was notably absent from this week’s crunch talks
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35 local residents, with backing from The Ramblers’ Association, have petitioned for the route to be officially recognised as open to walkers.
Villagers in the picturesque Kintbury community maintain that the lane was traditionally accessible under previous ownership, allowing them to bypass Station Road, which lacks a pavement and is considered hazardous.
However, the Matthews family contests this, arguing that the path has never been public land and raising concerns about privacy and safety at their home.
Several witnesses have come forward to support the Matthews family’s position that the pathway was rarely used by the public.
Pippa Middleton and James Matthews pictured in 2018
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Lady Victoria Conran, Sir Terence’s widow, who resided at the estate from 1992 until 2022, told the inquiry on Thursday she recalled seeing just one person walking the route during her three decades there – a woman pushing a pram whom her estate manager was instructed to inform that she was on private land.
Her son Max Gallagher, who lived at Barton Court briefly between 2022 and 2023, testified that signage “stated private or words to that effect” had always been present.
Charles Hill, who grew up in Spinney House on the estate grounds, travelled from Sydney at the couple’s request to give evidence, describing it as an “injustice” if the drive were registered as a public footpath.
In his witness statement, Mr Matthews argued that maintaining public access would create security “implications” for his family, given their prominent status.
Pippa Middleton and James Matthews pictured attending Prince Louis’ christening
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“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,” he wrote.
Before moving in, he arranged for electric security gates to be installed at both ends of the path, along with signs reading “Private: No Public Access” and “No Trespassing.”
Mr Matthews acknowledged his “first hand knowledge” of how the route has been used historically remains “limited.”
Local opposition to the closure has been vocal, with Liberal Democrat councillor Tony Vickers accusing the couple of “alienating” the community.
Pippa Middleton and James Matthews attending the Princess of Wales’s carol concert in 2022
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“They’ve upset an awful lot of people,” he told the Mail. “I don’t understand their motive for closing the route. They could easily get more security outside the house rather than closing the path through the estate and alienating the village.
“When rich and famous people move here, they have the opportunity to get involved with the community; they don’t need to upset people.”
A spokesman for the couple told the Telegraph: “For as long as records exist, there has never been a footpath or public right of way on the land currently under discussion.
“For decades past there has always been signage pointing out this is the driveway to a private property, with no public access. There are other clearly marked footpaths nearby. Contrary to media reports the previous owners at the property from as far back as the 1970s, did not allow public access to the land under discussion. It has always been private property.”
West Berkshire Council will make its final determination on whether to declare the route public or private following the conclusion of the six-day hearing.