(Credit - Agence France-Presse)
Former MOD Bicester Site Approved for 1,250 Asylum Seekers Near Piddington
The UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has granted full planning permission to convert the former Ministry of Defence storage facility in Bicester into a phased, temporary accommodation centre for roughly 1,250 asylum seekers.
Housing and Communities Minister Angela Rayner approved the temporary use of the facility as part of a broader policy shift to move asylum seekers out of commercial hotel accommodations and onto former military sites. The plan directly impacts the former MOD site, designated strictly for single men between the ages of 18 and 65.
The location sits right beside Piddington, an Oxfordshire village of 350 residents situated 25 kilometres (15 miles) outside Oxford. Local residents held protests over safety concerns, culminating in a symbolic referendum where 285 out of 312 votes were cast in favour of seceding from the United Kingdom to pursue self-determination.
Conservative MP Greg Smith, who represents the nearby constituency, condemned the planning approval as a disaster and vowed to challenge the decision.
