He told the inquiry the route is rarely used and neighbours raised no objections when the gate was installed.
He said nothing in the conveyancing process alerted him to any public use of the drive when he purchased the property in August 2022.
“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,” he told the inquiry at the Kintbury Coronation Hall in Hungerford.
“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.
“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.”
