Piddington Parish Council Mounts Legal Challenge Against MoD Asylum Base Plans
The parish council representing the Oxfordshire village of Piddington has confirmed it will launch a legal challenge against government plans to convert a nearby Ministry of Defence site into an asylum accommodation facility. The announcement follows the approval of full planning permission by Housing and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner, utilizing an Urgent Crown Development application to fast-track the proposal.
The controversial project at the former military site near Bicester aims to house up to 1,256 men. The plans have faced intense local opposition; the village of Piddington previously held a symbolic vote to declare independence from the UK in protest, and a government report revealed the proposal drew 3,177 representations against it compared to just one in support.
The Home Office has defended the project as part of a wider strategy to end the reliance on costly asylum hotels by moving individuals to alternative, self-contained former military sites featuring round-the-clock security and CCTV. While planning permission has been granted to progress the MoD Bicester site, a Home Office spokesperson noted that no final operational decision on the proposal has yet been taken.
