Plans to house up to 1,250 asylum seekers at a Ministry of Defence site in Barnham have met significant local resistance, with community leaders and councillors citing a lack of infrastructure and insufficient democratic oversight.
The proposal comes as the government aims to cease using hotels for asylum seeker accommodation, a move intended to reduce costs and address public concerns.
However, residents and local officials have raised alarms about the suitability of the RAF Barnham site. John Bauer, chairman of Barnham Parish Council, noted that the village, with a population of fewer than 600, lacks essential services such as a shop, a pub, and adequate public transport. He expressed concern that the proximity of the site to Barnham School could lead parents to withdraw their children, potentially jeopardizing the school's future.
Bauer also highlighted that a conventional housing development of equivalent size would undergo extensive consultation, transport assessments, environmental reviews, and infrastructure planning – processes that he argued have been absent in the current proposal.
Dylan Roques, a Green district councillor, echoed these concerns, stating that the existing infrastructure is insufficient for both the asylum seekers and the current residents. He added that the site does not appear to be conducive to meeting the needs and ensuring the dignity of asylum seekers.
Liberal Democrat councillor Jon London criticized the government's planning process, calling the Barnham proposal "the most egregious example of overdevelopment I have ever seen, and one with the least level of democratic oversight."
There is cross-party agreement among local representatives that the proposal, located on the Suffolk/Norfolk border, is inappropriate for the community.