Kate Middleton’s sister built an ‘unsightly’ car park on her $20 million rural estate — without permission, locals say

The couple was later ordered to remove the parking lot. It wasn’t just local officials who took issue with the development. The Telegraph also reported residents were complaining.

“I was shocked when all the fencing went up and a huge gravel area was laid at the side of this marsh in a rural area,” one resident wrote in an objection submitted to the council. “It looks like the urbanisation of the countryside … and is totally out of keeping.”

A parking lot of trouble

Middleton and Matthews purchased Barton Court, a 145-acre estate in Berkshire, in 2022 for a reported 15.5 million pounds (approximately $17.5 million).

But the couple’s decision to build a roughly 4,300-square-foot parking lot on the property sparked objections from local residents and planning officials. The estate sits within the North Wessex Downs, a protected landscape known for its countryside and natural beauty.

According to representatives for the estate, it was intended for fishermen and fishing clubs visiting the property. They argued that selling fishing rights along the river provides a significant source of income that helps pay for the estate’s upkeep.

Planning officials concluded that the parking lot’s “size and engineered appearance” made it a “visually intrusive and urbanised feature [in] an otherwise open meadow.”

It’s not just a British problem

For Americans who think this is just another case of British neighbors making a fuss, similar disputes over what property owners can do with their own land have played out stateside.

In October 2025, officials in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, removed homeowner Jim Theyerl’s gravel driveway following a long legal battle over whether it had been built without the required permit. Theyerl insisted he’d used the driveway for 26 years, but county records showed it was constructed without permission in 2023, according to NBC 26.

“This is a lot of pressure on me. I’m up in age already,” Theyerl told the news outlet. “I come here and I see all these guys lined up out here and they’re taking out my driveway — it doesn’t feel real good.”

After refusing to remove it himself, Theyerl was left facing more than $30,000 in fines, plus potentially the cost of having county crews tear it out.

Your property but not always your rules

Back in Berkshire, Middleton and Matthews have been getting plenty of pushback from their neighbors. Beyond the eyesore, some residents are worried that paving over part of the meadow could make flooding worse in the surrounding area.

“Additional hardstanding will inevitably increase surface run-off, reduce flood storage capacity and worsen flooding,” one resident wrote in an objection to the council.

This isn’t the first time the couple has clashed with their neighbors. They previously faced opposition from locals who wanted a route through their estate recognized as a public footpath. But in that case, a planning inspector sided with Middleton and Matthews.