The public have been banned from entering a 150-acre no-go zone around the new home of the Prince and Princess of Wales – to the annoyance of one dog walker, who labelled the move a “kick in the teeth”.
The measures mean anyone caught within the area around the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge would face arrest for committing criminal trespass.
The 2.3-mile long boundary within the 4,800-acre Windsor Great Park has been agreed with Thames Valley Police and the Royal Household, and is now written in legislation signed off by Home Office minister Dan Jarvis.
Over the weekend, fencing around the 2.3-mile perimeter exclusion zone was reportedly being put up, while a car park and gate accessed via Cranbourne Gate, near Forest Lodge, was closed for good.
Other access points shut reportedly include Sandpit Gate, Woodend Gate and the South Forest.
The retraction of public access, which came into place on Sunday, comes ahead of William and Kate, both aged 43, moving into their new “forever home”, with children George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven.
As reported earlier this month, the family is leaving their four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, also in Windsor, in a bid for a fresh start within the Grade II-listed lodge, nestled in one corner of Windsor Great Park, near the villages of Winkside and Woodside.
However, there has been some unhappiness from users of the Crown-owned Great Windsor Park over the creation of a no-go zone around the new royal residence.
A woman, from nearby Winkfield, told The Sun: “Many of us have been walking our dogs here for 20 years so to be told we can’t any more is a kick in the teeth.”
People had previously been able to pay £110 a year to use the now closed-off car park and gate to access the park.
“We pay annually towards the upkeep of a park but we are no longer going to be allowed to use part of it,” the woman added. “Now I’ll need to get in my car to drive further afield to take my dog for a walk.”
Others, however, have spoken of their understanding of the need for security for the family.
Councillor Lynne Jones, who is an independent representing the Old Windsor Residents’ Association on Windsor and Maidenhead council, told The Independent the area impacted was only “a very small” part of Great Windsor Park.
“The park is private land and we are fortunate the public is allowed access to it,” she said. “It’s wonderfully kept and a real asset for people living in a wide geographic area around.
“This [no-go zone] may mean people coming to the park have to use a different way in. Remember, the park is part of the Crown estate and they [the Royal family] will utilise as they can, we’re lucky we have access to it.”
The designated exclusion zone around Forest Lodge was set up under section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
The Act reads: “By designating the Forest Lodge site, the legislation makes it a criminal offence for a person to enter this site as a trespasser. This provides the police with powers of arrest for trespassers to the site where no other apparent offence has been committed, acting as a deterrent for incursions.”
The legislation, which did not require a public consultation, means anyone caught trespassing can be dealt with under a criminal offence, as opposed to a civil matter. Clear signage for the public would be put up, it continued.
The Act assessed that there would be “no, or no significant” impact on businesses, charities or voluntary bodies. Members of the park who use the closed-off car park have been sent a letter, allowing them to cancel their membership, The Times reported.
In August, a Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “The Wales family will move house later this year.”
