Pippa Middleton and James Matthews Face Backlash After Blocking Public Access to Footpath on Their Estate: Report

• Pippa Middleton and her husband, James Matthews, are involved in a dispute with neighbors over blocking access to a footpath on their private estate in West Berkshire
• The couple, married since 2017, are seeking to stop people from attempting to access a path that leads to their home
• They have lived on the property since 2022, and a prior owner allowed the use of the footpath, upsetting residents who used to walk there

Pippa Middleton and her husband, James Matthews, are reportedly entrenched in a local dispute after blocking public access to a footpath on their private estate in England.

Kate Middleton's younger sister and Matthews, an Eton-educated financier, have allegedly installed signs by a gate on their 145-acre estate in West Berkshire to stop people from attempting to access a path that leads to their mansion, the Mail on Sunday reported on Oct. 26. 

PEOPLE has contacted the West Berkshire Council for comment. A representative for Matthews had no comment when reached by PEOPLE.

Pippa, 41, and James have lived in the home since 2022, and criticism has been sparked as the property's previous owner, Sir Terence Conran, who died in 2020, reportedly allowed locals to use the private footpath, which is not a public right of way.

"I like to walk, and I don't see why I can't walk there. I have been walking along there for 50 years. When Sir Terence had it, he had no objections. I think we should have a right to roam," one villager said, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Added another, "I think it is a shame. It is a lovely walk. Although it wasn't officially a footpath, Sir Terence didn't have any objections. He was very nice. Everyone liked him. He was quite involved in the village." 

"It feels they are depriving the village of an amenity," they said.

The dispute reportedly began in March, when James' estate manager sent a Highway Declaration Notice to West Berkshire Council "marking out his private territory." The Mail on Sunday reported that Eugene Futcher, chairman of the West Berkshire Ramblers, a local walking group, launched a counter application, pursuing clearance to have the path be a public right of way.

The West Berkshire Council is expected to reach a decision in 2025, but until then, the owners can reportedly impose their own restrictions. 

Pippa and James live nearby to Adelaide Cottage, where Princess Kate, Prince William and their children are based in Windsor. Pippa and James are parents to son Arthur, 5, and daughters Grace, 3, and Rose, 2.

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When the couple got engaged in 2016,  a source told PEOPLE that they shared a "deep desire" to disappear from the spotlight in the longer term and looked forward to "having children and leading a quiet life."

Pippa and James are known to step out for Princess Kate's Together at Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, held annually for the last three years in December, and also attend Wimbledon. In July, Pippa joined her sister and her 9-year-old niece, Princess Charlotte, for a girls' day out at the tennis tournament in London.