UK housing ministry grants Bicester asylum site planning permission

The UK housing ministry has confirmed that Communities Secretary Angela Rayner granted full planning permission for temporary, phased asylum accommodation at the former MoD Bicester storage site near Piddington, Oxfordshire. The application provides for up to 1,256 places.

The Home Office said the permission lets it continue considering the site, but it has not made a final decision to proceed. It announced in June that it was exploring Bicester and other former military sites for asylum accommodation.

What the plans provide

The application describes accommodation where asylum seekers would not be detained. It proposes retaining and changing the use of Building A6, demolishing existing buildings and structures, and erecting new modular accommodation.

The plans also include space for health and welfare facilities, wastewater treatment, roads, security infrastructure, parking, staff accommodation and recreation. The former defense storage and distribution site is near the town of Bicester.

The Home Office said former military sites are part of its effort to close asylum hotels and distribute accommodation more evenly across the country. It said such alternative sites are designed to be self-contained, with round-the-clock security and CCTV to minimize effects on local communities.

Opposition and legal challenges

In September, campaigners organized a symbolic referendum in Piddington on leaving the UK to demonstrate opposition to the proposal. Conservative shadow housing secretary Katie Lam said the approval disregarded residents' opposition and argued against moving asylum seekers from hotels to military bases.

A separate legal challenge is already underway. In October, the local group Wrong Plan Wrong Site took its challenge to the High Court over the government’s August conclusion that an environmental assessment was unnecessary. The group said there were credible concerns about potentially significant environmental effects.

The planning approval itself can be challenged during a 6-week window, The Guardian said. The Home Office’s final decision on whether to use the site remains pending.