The Princess of Wales’s younger sister and her husband, financier James Matthews, have submitted a planning application to renovate their Grade II-listed property, but the plans are now at risk of being derailed because of a potential disturbance of remains.
Experts have raised concerns that proposed building works at the £15million Barton Court estate could disturb Palaeolithic-era relics. Known as the Old Stone Age, it is the earliest and longest period of human prehistory, spanning roughly 3.3 million years.
A report commissioned to assess the site warned the development “has the potential to impact on hitherto unidentified archaeology” from the prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval periods, according to the Daily Mail.
Consultants from Heritage Planning Services said the estate, near the Kennet Valley village of Kintbury, sits within an area of “potential Palaeolithic archaeology”, with evidence already identified through boreholes and flint finds across the surrounding landscape.
The Kennet Valley is considered one of Britain’s most important prehistoric landscapes. It features significant monuments like the West Kennet Avenue, Silbury Hill, and Avebury, alongside Bronze Age settlements.
Concerns were also raised over plans to replace the estate’s existing greenhouse, with a council conservation officer warning this would result in the loss of historic fabric and cause “some harm” to the site, it has been reported.
Pippa and James plan to expand the Grade II-listed property by building a new greenhouse and stables, along with extensions that include a garden room.
Pippa’s home, situated near the Kennet Valley village of Kintbury, is where she and James are raising their young family: Arthur, seven, Grace, four, and Rose, three.
The luxury property, which the couple purchased in 2021, already features 32 rooms, as well as a swimming pool and a tennis court.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
