Illegal gates closing off Kingston’s richest and most famous residents are set to be ripped down by Kingston Council, ending a two-year residential rift.

An enforcement order deadline has expired for Coombe Park ltd, an association of affluent residents in Kingston Hill, to remove their illegal two metre gates, which were built on public land.

Dr Robin Tillett, a Coombe Park resident who has campaigned against the gates, said: “The whole saga has been going on for a couple of years and it’s extremely frustrating.

“The longer the gates are there, the more it sets a precedent for other roads in Kingston to do the same and put up gates.”

A ruling in May by a committee of Kingston councillors judged the gates to be illegal, but it took months for an enforcement order to be made, prompting accusations from residents the council was “dragging its feet”.

A Kingston Council spokesman said: “The council is finalising its strategy to secure the removal of the gates and the reinstatement of the highway.

“We are committed to securing the removal of the gates and the reinstatement of the carriageway in accordance with resolutions passed by the Maldens and Coombe neighbourhood committee.”

Those against the gate had previously claimed the council ignored their concerns are while their richer neighbours are allowed to inflate the value of their properties by creating a “gated community”.

Councillor Patrick Codd, chairman of the Maldens and Coombe neighbourhood committee which made the ruling, denied this suggestion, and said: “The council has been trying to avoid an expensive legal process but we are not prepared to have a gated community on public land.

“Their main motive for doing this is security but this area has one of the lowest crime rates in London. This is not helpful for maintaining good neighbourhood relations.”

Known as the “posh end” of Coombe Park, residents of the illustrious estate include entertainer Jimmy Tarbuck, Iraqi-born oil billionaire Nadhmi Auchi and former tennis star Annabel Croft.

The council has also denied Coombe Park ltd has threatened to take legal proceedings should the gates be torn down.