Government documents show that a major migrant camp approved near an Oxfordshire village presents risks to women and girls, while police chiefs have warned it could also lead to higher levels of crime and increased pressure on policing services.
Housing Minister Angela Rayner has authorised the controversial camp at MoD Bicester, despite the nearby village of Piddington symbolically voting to leave the UK in protest.
A newly published planning document states that security arrangements at the site, which is intended to accommodate 1,256 single male migrants, “cannot eliminate all risk” to local residents.
Residents have protested against the plans for months, describing them as “completely inappropriate” and warning they would “overwhelm” Piddington, a village of only 350 people, including 46 children.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the decision as a “betrayal of the women of Piddington” and said it was “emblematic of Labour’s disregard for the law and women and girls’ safety”.
Writing on social media, she said: “When I visited Piddington I met a village terrified of what was about to land on their doorstep. The Government said it was listening, instead it’s completely ignored this community’s concerns.”
A total of 3,177 people and organisations submitted objections to the scheme. Just one response backed it.
The planning approval document says officials had “considered effects on neighbouring communities, including concerns about the safety of women and girls, perceptions of safety, community cohesion, policing demand and protest activity”.
Government documents show that a major migrant camp near an Oxfordshire village presents risks to women and girls, while police chiefs fear it could also contribute to higher crime. Pictured: An aerial view of the former military depot
Housing Minister Angela Rayner has approved the controversial camp at MoD Bicester, despite a symbolic vote by nearby Piddington to leave the UK in protest
A public dispute over the proposed migrant camp near Piddington broke out between Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf (right) and Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp (left) on Friday
It said the site would be “closely managed” with staff present around the clock, controlled access, CCTV, security patrols and procedures for responding to incidents.
The document added: “Service Users would be free to enter and leave, but the site’s relatively isolated location and limited pedestrian connections are likely to constrain journeys on foot.
“While these measures cannot eliminate all risk, officials consider that they would materially reduce security and community-safety risks.”
The document also disclosed that Matthew Barber, the Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, had objected to the proposal.
“Insufficient consideration has been given to the implications of accommodating a large population in a relatively self-contained and isolated location with limited access to services and amenities,” his submission stated.
“Such circumstances may increase the risk of social isolation, increase the risk of crime, increase demands on policing, place pressure on local infrastructure, and contribute to tensions within both resident and surrounding communities.”
Thames Valley Police also urged the Government to give “further consideration to the suitability of the site, having regard to its limited supporting infrastructure and reliance on organised transport”.
The force advised officials to “take steps to minimise the visibility of occupants and activities from outside the site in the interests of privacy, security and community safety”.
It warned of the “potential for protest activity and associated policing requirements”, while saying officials should consider “community perceptions of safety and security, and the potential for significant additional, unbudgeted policing costs”.
The approval of the Piddington site follows comments from Prime Minister Andy Burnham that people in more affluent parts of the UK must “play their part” in housing asylum seekers.
The Government has pledged to end the use of hotels for migrants and plans to make greater use of former military sites instead.
Two such sites are already operating: Wethersfield in Essex and Crowborough in East Sussex.
In addition to MoD Bicester, former military sites at Barnham in Norfolk and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire have also been identified.
Decisions on those locations are understood not to have been made.
After the decision was announced, Piddington residents said they “always knew” the camp would be approved. They accused the Government of “submitting and approving their own application”.
Joe Marshall, a Piddington parish councillor, told BBC Newsnight: “The quality of the application is shocking, the discrepancies are all over the place.
“They’ve really not followed the right planning procedure. But regardless of that, we always knew it was going to be approved.
“There’s 28 conditions that they’ve got to discharge – all, effectively, about site viability. So, you know, this war isn’t over yet.”
He also questioned whether the country was “a democracy”, given the scale of opposition to the proposed migrant camp in Piddington.
“I think this development is something that nobody would want to have imposed on their local area,” Mr Marshall continued.
“And it’s not particularly just a NIMBY issue. It’s a wider issue, quadrupling of your population, the exposure to emissions from generators, the increase in road collisions as a result of this proposal.”
Parish council chairman Tim McNally said ministers should “absolutely” expect a legal challenge.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “Last night, (Prime Minister) Andy Burnham was on a podium talking about the violence, sexual violence towards women, and bringing it upon the media industry as their responsibility to manage.
“But the reality is, is that this is exactly what the Government is doing to us here.”
Political tensions also escalated after a public dispute between Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf and Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp.
Both politicians had travelled to Piddington to protest against Labour ministers’ decision to approve the migrant camp.
However, their joint appearance at a televised press conference descended into a shouting match when Mr Yusuf used the event to launch another attack on previous Conservative governments.
After Mr Philp spoke, Mr Yusuf asked the senior Conservative whether he would “like to actually apologise for the things that you did in government”.
“Are you going to take the opportunity to apologise to the people of Piddington and to the country?” Mr Yusuf asked, as he criticised the Conservatives’ record on illegal migration.
Mr Philp accused Mr Yusuf of being “disingenuous” and said the Conservatives were “under new leadership” with Kemi Badenoch.
“The men that are going to be placed here are men who arrived very recently under this Labour Government,” he said, referring to plans to accommodate asylum seekers at Ministry of Defence (MoD) Bicester.
When Mr Yusuf attempted to speak over him, Mr Philp told him to “read the room”, adding: “The public here want you to pipe down on the cheap politics.”
The decision can now be challenged through the courts during a six-week legal window.
A Home Office spokesman said on Friday: “Planning permission allows us to continue to progress the use of MoD Bicester.
“However, a final decision to proceed is yet to be taken.
“The Government is working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country, with over £1billion saved in costs since the election.
“This includes closing all asylum hotels.”
