Pippa Middleton and her husband have been told to dig up an “unsightly” car park on her Berkshire estate following complaints from residents.

The Princess of Wales’s sister and James Matthews had sought retrospective planning permission for the site on their Barton Court estate, which had already been constructed last year.

However, West Berkshire Council agreed with objections raised to the parking site in February, and dismissed their appeal last month after concluding it “does not conserve the landscape and scenic beauty” of the area.

They said: “Due to its size and engineered appearance, the development has introduced a visually intrusive and urbanised feature into an otherwise meadow.”

The car park is located on the Wessex Downs, which has enhanced protections as a National Landscape, an area of particular scenic beauty.

Concerns had been raised that the site would impact the biodiversity of the area, and that before it had been developed, it contributed to the “openness and tranquillity of the rural area”.

The couple had not provided information that the site would not impact the nearby River Kennet, which has been described as one of England’s premier chalk streams.

Concerns had also been raised that vehicles exiting the car park, which was to be used by fishermen and angling clubs, would not have “adequate visibility”.

One resident said: “Ample parking already exists on the Barton Court estate. Additional parking is unnecessary.

“This application is to move unsightly parking out of sight of the applicants on entry to the Barton Court estate to the detriment of the residents and the heritage of Kintbury.”

Another said that the car park also posed a flooding risk, while another described it as an “eye sore” and a “brutal interruption of the bucolic scene”.

In one response dated December of last year, a local wrote: “This application shows a disregard for both the law and the village & villagers of Kintbury. I hope that West Berkshire Council will encourage the applicant to select another more discreet site on the spacious Barton Court Estate to support this income stream”.

The decision to dismiss the couple’s appeal means that the original ruling to deny planning permission stands.

Ms Middleton moved to the 18th century property in 2022, with the couple previously engaging in a row after a ramblers group applied to recognise a public footpath on the land in 2023.

At a public inquiry earlier this year, Mr Matthews argued that privacy concerns and the high profile nature of his family resulted in the need for tighter security.