Campaigners opposing the government's plan to accommodate up to 1,256 asylum seekers at the former Ministry of Defence site near Bicester have initiated a judicial review at the High Court. The group Wrong Plan Wrong Site argues that the Home Office failed to properly assess the environmental impact of the development, which the government sought to fast-track through an Urgent Crown Development application. The campaigners, supported by Cherwell District Council, contend that credible concerns about significant environmental effects have been overlooked.
The government had concluded in August that an environmental assessment was unnecessary and proceeded with a short public consultation, which local MP Calum Miller described as a democratic success. The Home Office has not commented on the legal challenge but stated it is closing asylum hotels and relocating asylum seekers to alternative accommodations, including former military sites, to reduce costs and community impact. The legal challenge highlights tensions between rapid asylum housing plans and environmental and local community concerns.
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Source: BBC UK News. Aggregated summary, not independent reporting.