Plans to accommodate up to 1,256 asylum seekers at the former Ministry of Defence site near Piddington, Oxfordshire, may face further delays after wildlife experts detected endangered barbastelle bats there. The discovery could require extensive surveys and a Natural England licence, potentially halting or even preventing construction, while protected great crested newts have already caused environmental concerns.

The Home Office must establish the bats’ numbers and habitat before work can proceed. An ecologist said their presence could give the site national and European importance, and campaigners pursuing legal action argue it could force demolition or development to stop. Separately, Piddington residents voted 285 to 26 for “independence” from Britain, with a 92 per cent turnout; the symbolic vote has no legal effect but was intended to protest the asylum proposal.