The government will face a legal challenge over plans to convert a former Ministry of Defence site near the Oxfordshire village of Piddington into accommodation for more than 1,200 detained asylum seekers, the parish council chairman has said.

Tim McNally told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that villagers would take "many actions" and that ministers should "absolutely" be braced for a legal challenge. He said the village could also apply the new Hillsborough Law, which, once passed, would create a legally enforceable duty of candour compelling public officials and authorities to act transparently during investigations and inquiries.

Communities Secretary Angela Rayner approved full planning permission for the scheme on Thursday 12 November, after the Home Office used a fast-track route for projects deemed urgently needed and of national importance. The permission covers the temporary, phased use of the former MoD Bicester storage site to house up to 1,256 men. Opponents now have six weeks to challenge the decision in the High Court. The government has said a challenge may be brought only on the ground that the decision is legally flawed, and is not an opportunity to reconsider the planning merits. A government report recorded 3,177 representations against the proposal and one in support.

Home Office says final decision not yet taken

A Home Office spokesperson said on Thursday: "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 spokesperson said the government is working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country, with over £1 billion saved in costs since the election, and that the sites are designed to be self-contained, with 24/7 security and CCTV, to minimise the impact on the local community.

Defence minister Luke Pollard told LBC the government would continue to engage with the community. He said it was "pretty obvious" there was a strong sense of feeling in the community around Bicester, especially in Piddington, adding: "There's still a few more stages to go here, so it's not yet fully locked in and delivered, so that we can understand where the concerns are, so they can be mitigated."

Village opposition

Residents of Piddington have opposed the plans for months. In September, the village symbolically voted to declare independence from the UK in protest at the proposal, and campaigners have previously pursued legal action against the plans. Mr McNally told the Today programme: "Today is a day of reflection, and we'll 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." He also said the prime minister had spoken the previous evening about violence towards women, adding: "But the reality is, is that this is exactly what the Government is doing to us here."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the plans were a "betrayal of the women of Piddington" and "emblematic of Labour and Angela Rayner's disregard for the law and women and girls' safety". She said she had visited Piddington and met a village "terrified of what was about to land on their doorstep", adding that the government had said it was listening but had "completely ignored this community's concerns". The Home Office wants to end the use of asylum hotels and move people into alternative accommodation, including former military sites.