Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has granted planning permission to turn a former military site near the Oxfordshire village of Piddington into accommodation for up to 1,256 men seeking asylum, despite more than 3,000 objections and a symbolic vote by villagers to leave the United Kingdom in protest.

The decision, confirmed on Thursday, gives the Home Office permission for the temporary, phased use of the former MoD Bicester storage site. The application was fast-tracked through an Urgent Crown Development application, which sent it straight to the Housing Secretary rather than through the usual local planning system.

What was approved

The permission allows for the demolition of existing buildings, the erection of new modular accommodation, and the provision of health and welfare facilities at the site, which sits beside Piddington and close to Arncott, Ambrosden and Bicester.

A government report said the decision attracted 3,177 representations against it, and just one in support. Ms Rayner nevertheless ruled that permission should be granted because "national demand for asylum accommodation remains high".

In her decision notice, the Housing Secretary acknowledged there would be "residual demand on healthcare, emergency and other public services" and that the plans could damage "community cohesion". The approval is subject to conditions, and opponents have six weeks from the day after the decision to apply to the High Court for a legal challenge. The government said such a challenge could only be brought on the ground that the decision was legally flawed, and was "not an opportunity to reconsider the planning merits".

A village that voted to leave

Piddington held a symbolic referendum in September in which 285 people voted to declare the "Principality of Piddington" in protest at the plans, with 26 voting against. The vote had no legal effect, but it captured national attention.

Joe Marshall, a Piddington parish councillor, said residents were "extremely frustrated". "The government has approved its own application against more than 3,000 objections and one letter of support, overruling the councils, the NHS and the police and crime commissioner," he said. "No wonder we voted to leave the UK."

Asked on BBC Newsnight whether he felt he lived in a democracy, Mr Marshall replied: "No, not at all." He added: "This development is something that nobody would want to have imposed on their local area."

Political reaction

The decision drew sharp criticism from opposition parties. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "Angela Rayner and the Labour government have betrayed the people of Piddington by abusing their emergency powers in this way." He added that instead of accommodating asylum seekers, the government should leave the European Convention on Human Rights so they could be rapidly deported.

Calum Miller, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, said it was "the wrong plan and the wrong site for local communities, asylum seekers and taxpayers". He said he was "deeply disappointed that the government has approved this proposal despite the serious concerns raised by residents and local councils as well as the major problems with the site".

Reform UK home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said: "Over 1,200 unvetted illegal migrant men are being dumped in Piddington. Tory and Labour governments have betrayed their own people. Reform will detain and deport all of these men."

Janet Chamdal, chair of the local campaign group Wrong Plan, Wrong Site, said the group was "extremely disappointed that the Government has granted planning permission to MOD Bicester Site A, despite more than 3,000 public objections and significant concerns raised by statutory authorities, including Oxfordshire County Council". The group has already sent the government a formal pre-action letter, the first step towards a judicial review.

What happens next

Planning permission does not mean the centre will definitely open. A Home Office spokesperson said: "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 says it is working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country, with over £1 billion saved in costs since the election. That includes closing all asylum hotels and moving to alternative accommodation, including former military sites, which it says are designed to be self-contained, with 24-hour security and CCTV, to minimise the impact on the local community.

Labour has pledged to stop housing asylum seekers in hotels by 2029, an expensive form of accommodation which has become a focal point for protests in parts of the country. The Home Office announced in June that it was examining three former military locations for asylum accommodation: MoD Bicester, MoD Barnham and MoD Linton-on-Ouse.

Home Office data showed that the number of asylum applications dropped 21% in the year to June 2026, to 85,891.

Sources: BBC News; The Times; Hello Rayo.