Oxfordshire villagers plan legal challenge over approved asylum accommodation

The government has approved planning permission for a former Ministry of Defence site near Piddington, Oxfordshire, to be used for accommodation for more than 1,200 detained asylum seekers. The Home Office says the site is part of a plan to close asylum hotels, but local opposition is continuing and the approval may face a legal challenge.

Parish council chair Tim McNally said villagers would take further action and ministers should expect a challenge within six weeks. Residents previously held a symbolic vote to declare the village independent; campaigners also say they may invoke the proposed Hillsborough law’s duty of candour. The Home Office says a final decision to proceed has not been made and the accommodation would have round-the-clock security and CCTV.