RAF Barnham asylum plan meets local resistance

Parents may withdraw their children from a village primary school if asylum seekers are housed on a nearby military site, a meeting has been told.

Last month, the government said RAF Barnham, on the Suffolk/Norfolk border, was one of three sites that could house a total of about 3,750 migrants if planning permission was granted.

But the West Suffolk Council meeting heard "there simply isn't the infrastructure" for the plan, and councillors unanimously backed a motion saying the site was not suitable.

A Home Office source said a final decision about the site at Barnham, near Thetford, had not been taken and it was "listening to local concerns to reduce the impact on communities".

The motion committed the council to urgently engage with the Home Office to explain why RAF Barnham is not suitable as asylum seeker accommodation.

Up to 1,250 asylum seekers could be moved to the Ministry of Defence site, the meeting heard.

The government has pledged to stop placing asylum seekers in hotels – a costly form of accommodation that has become a focal point for anti-migrant protests.

John Bauer, chairman of Barnham Parish Council, told the meeting parents had said they were considering removing their children from Barnham School due to its proximity to the site, which could threaten the school's long-term viability.

He also said the village, which has fewer than 600 people, had no shop, no pub and very limited access to services, including public transport.

"If this were a conventional housing development for 1,250 people, it would require extensive consultation, transport assessment, environmental review and infrastructure planning," he added.

Green district councillor Dylan Roques agreed, telling the meeting: "There simply isn't the infrastructure for it, for both asylum seekers and for residents.

"Asylum seekers deserve places where their needs and wants are recognised, and RAF Barnham simply isn't that place – their dignity sadly will not be valued."

Liberal Democrat councillor Jon London criticised the government's planning process and said: "This is the most egregious example of overdevelopment I have ever seen, and one with the least level of democratic oversight."

West Suffolk Council leader Cliff Waterman, a Labour member, said he hoped the vote would give him a "strong hand" when speaking to the government.

"One thing [the government] cannot do is just dismiss me as someone standing on a soapbox shouting down a megaphone," he said.

"I'm hopeful that they will listen carefully to what we say."

Andrew Smith, the Conservative councillor for Bardwell ward, which includes Barnham, said a village was "simply the wrong place" for the plans.

"I'm optimistic we can stop the plans... we have got a long way to go, but today we have squared the edge and we have drawn a line in the sand," he said.

The Home Office source said it was "working closely with local authorities".

"No final decisions to proceed will be taken until all necessary arrangements, assessments and approvals are in place and have been properly considered," they said.

"Asylum seekers are expected to stay in contact with the Home Office and comply with the asylum process – failure to do so could lead to their claim being withdrawn and support being discontinued."

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