'It's ludicrous', councillor says of plans to use former military site to house asylum seekers
Published12 November 2026
Plans to house asylum seekers at a former military site near the Oxfordshire village of Piddington have been approved by the government.
Planning permission for housing for up to 1,256 men at the MoD Bicester site was approved by the Housing Secretary Angela Rayner after the Home Office used a fast-track route for projects deemed to be urgently needed and of national importance.
The Home Office said this would allow it to continue developing the plan but that no final decision on the site had been taken.
Piddington symbolically voted to leave the UK over the planned use for the site, which has also been legally challenged by campaigners. Opponents now have six weeks to challenge the approval.
A government report said the decision received 3,177 representations against and one in support.
It also said Rayner had ruled permission via an Urgent Crown Development application should be granted because "national demand for asylum accommodation remains high".
The permission allows for demolition of existing buildings, the building of new modular accommodation, and provisions for health and welfare facilities.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "Angela Rayner and the Labour government have betrayed the people of Piddington by abusing their emergency powers in this way."
He continued: "Instead of accommodating illegal immigrants, the government should leave the ECHR so they can be rapidly deported."
Up to 1,256 men could be housed at the site near Bicester under the plans
Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock Calum Miller said it was "the wrong plan and the wrong site for local communities, asylum seekers and taxpayers".
"I am deeply disappointed that the government has approved this proposal despite the serious concerns raised by residents and local councils as well as the major problems with the site," he added.
The approval could be challenged by an application to the High Court within six weeks of the day after the decision date.
The government said a challenge "may be brought only on the ground that the decision is legally flawed – it is not an opportunity to reconsider the planning merits".
Reacting to the decision, Piddington Parish Council chair Tim McNally who led the referendum campaign, said: "There's going to be many actions… we will disclose that as we move forward.
"Today is a day of reflection and we will work out where we plan to go from this point but I will say the Hillsborough Law is there for a reason and we're going to apply it."
The legislation was approved in July in a bid to prevent cover-ups linked to failures of the state and imposes a duty on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and co-operate with official investigations and inquiries.
He said that he was "clearly quite disappointed… more sadly is the manner in which it has been delivered".
McNally told the Today programme: "We've attempted at every point all along the way to try and engage and create some form of communication.
"It would have been much more pleasant and appropriate to convene some sort of connection and meeting and go through this process."
Joe Marshall, a Piddington parish councillor, said residents of the village were "extremely frustrated".
"The government has approved its own application against more than 3,000 objections and one letter of support, overruling the councils, the NHS and the police and crime commissioner," he said.
"No wonder we voted to leave the UK."
He told BBC Newsnight: "This development is something that nobody would want to have imposed on their local area."
Asked whether he felt like he lived in a democracy, he told the programme: "No, not at all."
Villagers voted overwhelmingly to become an independent state in a symbolic referendum over the asylum plans in September
Reform UK home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said: "Over 1,200 unvetted illegal migrant men are being dumped in Piddington.
"Tory and Labour governments have betrayed their own people. Reform will detain and deport all of these men."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "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 £1 billion saved in costs since the election.
"This includes closing all asylum hotels and moving to alternative accommodation, including former military sites.
"These are designed to be self-contained, with 24/7 security and CCTV, to minimise the impact on the local community."
The government must house asylum seekers – people who want to be in the UK because they say they cannot live safely in their own country due to persecution or violence – if they cannot financially support themselves while their claim is being considered.
Labour has pledged to stop housing asylum seekers in hotels by 2029, an expensive form of accommodation which have become a focal point for anti-migrant protests in parts of the country.
Ministers are looking for large, alternative sites – including former military bases – where they can be housed instead.
Home Office data showed that the number of asylum applications dropped 21% in the year to June 2026, at 85,891.
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