Pippa Middleton's hedge fund boss husband has told a planning inquiry that 'only a handful' of ramblers have used a footpath through the couple's £15million estate in three years as the couple fight a bid to reopen it to walkers.James Matthews claims he and the sister of the Princess of Wales have had to upgrade an electric gate first installed when they moved into Grade I-listed Barton Court in Berkshire to 'enhance security' as local discontent surrounding the footpath application rumbles on.The couple - who live in the 145-acre sprawling property with their three children - are battling with The Ramblers, Britain's walking charity, over access to the footpath in a six-day hearing after which the council will decide whether to declare the road private or public land.Residents in the picturesque village of Kintbury have accused them of being 'arrogant' and 'alienating the community' by seeking to cut off a path which some claim has been used for generations.They say the path was always left open by the estate's former owner - the late Habitat founder Sir Terence Conran - on the understanding that it could be used as a public passageway.But the royal-related couple, who bought the estate from Sir Terence in 2022, claim it has never been open to the public and cite security and privacy issues with keeping it open.Speaking for the first time at the hearing on Thursday, Mr Matthews insisted it was rare to see someone walking along the path.'In the last three and a half years since I bought the house, I have seen only a handful of people, on maybe two or three occasions, walking along the drive,' he said. Pippa Middleton and her husband James Matthews are at war with a group of local ramblers over access to a path on their estate James Matthews (left), the Princess of Wales's brother-in-law, leaving Kintbury Coronation Hall, Kintbury, Hungerford, after telling a planning inquiry there is a need for a higher level of security due to his family's high public profile'Each time I have spoken to them and told them it was not a public footpath. Each time they acknowledged that it was not a footpath, and asked for permission to continue.'On each occasion I gave them permission to continue, but for just that once.'After an opening three days where the inquiry heard from a string of residents claiming the route was a much-loved footpath they had used for decades, Mr Matthews instead said: 'Prior to moving in, I had visited the house only a few times. I did not see any members of the public using the drive on those visits.'There was nothing in the conveyancing process which alerted me to any public use of the drive.'He added that he and Pippa had installed electric gates and signs reading 'Private: No Public Access' and 'No Trespassing' at both ends of the path, when they moved in.The electric security gate at the centre of the dispute was installed in September 2022, before West Berkshire Ramblers applied for a 'definitive map modification order' in January 2023 seeking to have the route formally recognised as a public footpath. The hedge fund manager said: 'In the period after the footpath application, unfortunately there has been a continued need to enhance security and the gates at Station Road have therefore been upgraded in the summer of 2025 and kept closed.'Discussing the gate he and Pippa installed, he said: 'It is kept shut, except perhaps on the odd occasion such as when a visit by family or friends is expected.'When the gate was put in, no one from the Parish Council or the village came to speak with us, or contacted us, about the gate to say that there was any problem with it being there.'Thirty-five residents, backed by The Ramblers' Association, appealed to West Berkshire Council to have the lane declared a public right of way - but Ms Middleton and her husband have pushed back.Mr Matthews also said keeping the pathway open would have security 'implications' for the family.The former racing driver, who has not been accompanied by his wife at the first four days of the hearing, added: 'There are implications for my family, due to their high public profile, which means there is a need for a higher level of security than would otherwise be the case if the circumstances were different.'Mr Matthews, wearing a blue suit and light blue shirt, then returned to his seat with no further questions asked, later offering a thumbs up signal to a member of the audience. Mr Matthews attended the opening of the Planning Inspectorate inquiry held at Kintbury's village hall