Pippa Middleton and James Matthews moved into their estate two years ago. Photo / Getty Images
Pippa Middleton and James Matthews moved into their estate two years ago. Photo / Getty Images
The general public has had use of country lane ‘for decades, if not centuries’.
Pippa Middleton and her husband are locked in a planning row with villagers after cutting off public access to a footpath on their estate.
The Princess of Wales’ sister and JamesMatthews moved into the residence in Kintbury, West Berkshire, two years ago.
The 58ha property was formerly owned by the late design tycoon Sir Terence Conran, who had allowed locals to use the country lane leading up to the Georgian mansion’s driveway.
But Middleton and Matthews have since erected a gate and put up signs saying: “Private: No Public Access” and “No Trespassing”.
Matthews submitted a “highway declaration notice” to West Berkshire Council in March 2024 marking out his private territory, stating that the road is now not accessible.
It came in response to Eugene Futcher, chairman of the West Berkshire Ramblers, a walking charity, submitting a “definitive map modification order”, to have public right of access declared.
Late design tycoon Sir Terence Conran previously owned the estate. Photo / Getty Images
The council is expected to reach a decision in 2025 but the landowners are allowed to impose their own restrictions until then.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Futcher said: “There is evidence through witness statements of the public having had access to this lane going back to the 1960s”.
“There has been unfettered public access for decades, if not centuries.”
He added: “It connects to critical footpaths that the public have had use of for generations. If it is blocked it would not only restrict access to the network but it would also force walkers to go down a dangerous and busy road without pavements.
“The 1981 agriculture act stipulates that if it can be proved that a path has been used for 20 years or more, it can be claimed as a public right of way,” he added.
But one business owner told the Mail on Sunday: “The public assume it is a right of way. It has never been a right of way.
“They were always allowed to walk it by the previous landowner but now it’s owned by somebody else. [The Matthews] have just exercised their right.”
Matthews was contacted by the Telegraph for comment.
Extend public’s right of access
The Ramblers Association has been calling for the Government to extend the public’s right of responsible access to the countryside.
And the Right to Roam campaign wants England to have similar rules to Scotland, where people are allowed to access and camp on most land as long as they follow rules including conserving the environment and not harming crops.
In contrast, just 8% of England has similar right to roam freedoms.
Futcher said: “Winning this appeal would be a feather in our cap in terms of access rights. It’s caused a certain amount of unhappiness among villagers and ramblers.
Pippa Middleton and James Matthews. Photo / Getty Images
“I’m hopeful, as we have strong evidence the lane was used with unfettered access for decades.
“It’s now up to the planning inspectorate to make the decision.”
The Government has set a deadline of 2031 for public footpaths and bridleways to be officially mapped, with local authorities responsible for processing claims.
However, councils have nearly 8000 applications waiting to be processed.
Some of the claims date back as far as the 1980s. Campaigners have said the backlog means the deadline should be scrapped to avoid footpaths being lost.
The deadline, set out in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, was originally pushed back from 2026 after local authorities struggled to process claims.
The Ramblers Association estimates there are about 66,994km of missing rights of way that they are encouraging people to track down as part of their Don’t Lose Your Way campaign.
Anyone can apply to have a footpath recognised and protected as long as they produce sufficient historical evidence that a right of way once existed.
