A massive migrant camp given the green light close to an Oxfordshire village does pose a risk to women and girls, while police chiefs fear there could also be increased crime, Government documents show.
Housing Minister Angela Rayner has approved the controversial camp at MoD Bicester despite the nearby village of Piddington symbolically voting to leave the UK in protest.
Now a newly-published planning document has revealed security measures at the camp – which will house 1,256 single male migrants – ‘cannot eliminate all risk’ to villagers.
Residents have been protesting for months that the plans are ‘completely inappropriate’ and would ‘overwhelm’ Piddington, which is home to just 350 residents, including 46 children.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch yesterday described the plans as a ‘betrayal of the women of Piddington’ and ’emblematic of Labour’s disregard for the law and women and girls’ safety’.
In a social media post, she wrote: ‘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.’
Some 3,177 individuals and organisations lodged objections against the scheme. Only one supported it.
According to the planning approval document, 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.’
A massive migrant camp close to an Oxfordshire village does pose a risk to women and girls, while police chiefs fear there could also be increased crime, Government documents show. Pictured: An aerial view of the former military depot
Housing Minister Angela Rayner has approved the controversial camp at MoD Bicester despite the nearby village of Piddington symbolically voting to leave the UK in protest
A public spat over the proposed migrant camp close to Piddington erupted between Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf (right) and Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp (left) on Friday
It added that the site would be ‘closely managed’ through 24-hour staffing, controlled access, CCTV, security patrols and incident-response procedures.
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 revealed Matthew Barber, Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, has 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 said.
‘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 meanwhile advised the Government gives ‘further consideration to the suitability of the site, having regard to its limited supporting infrastructure and reliance on organised transport.’
The force also 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 said there could be a ‘potential for protest activity and associated policing requirements’, while consideration should be given for ‘community perceptions of safety and security, and the potential for significant additional, unbudgeted policing costs.’
The decision to approve the site in Piddington comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said people in more affluent areas of the UK must ‘play their part’ in housing asylum seekers.
The Government has promised to end the use of hotels for migrants and will utilise former military sites instead.
Two are up and running – Wethersfield in Essex, and Crowborough in East Sussex.
Alongside MoD Bicester, sites at Barnham in Norfolk and at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire have also been identified.
It is believed that decisions on these have not yet been made.
Residents of Piddington said following the decision they ‘always knew’ the site would go ahead, as they accused the Government of ‘submitting and approving their own application’.
Joe Marshall, 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 ‘we live in a democracy’, given the strength of opposition to the 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.’
Meanwhile, Parish council chairman Tim McNally said ministers should ‘absolutely’ be braced for a legal challenge.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘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.’
Both were in Piddington to protest against the decision by Labour ministers to approve the migrant camp.
But their joint appearance at a televised press conference descended into a shouting match after Mr Yusuf used it to launch a fresh attack on past Tory administrations.
Speaking after Mr Philp, 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 hit out at the Tories’ record on illegal migration.
In response, Mr Philp accused Mr Yusuf of being ‘disingenuous’ and pointed to how 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 of plans to house asylum seekers at Ministry of Defence (MoD) Bicester.
He went on to tell Mr Yusuf – who tried to talk over Mr Philp – to ‘read the room’ adding: ‘The public here want you to pipe down on the cheap politics.’
There is now a six-week window when the decision can face a legal challenge.
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.’
