Principality of Piddington

Maybe it would be better if the asylum seekers there were confined to the barracks until their claims processed? They are here illegally. - as others have pointed out we do not know if a person is here illegally until their application has been processed. We cannot be locking up innocent people.

Well I suppose Galaxy it's for the electorate to really think about who they choose to vote for. Maybe don't fall for catchy self- promotion slogans.....always dodgy. And email your local MP re any concerns that you have both locally and the country.
But unfortunately there is no magic wand.

Yes.

And people still wonder[and will for the next 10 years] why Reform[or Restore} or any different party has become the norm.
Here or elsewhere.

Is there a way that people can tell you that current levels of immigration aren't working for them that is acceptable. They have tried voting, demonstrations, etc - perhaps they could try the medium of interpretative dance and see if anyone pays attention to that.

Yes Graphite...that is interesting reading. So the site was potentially earmarked from the early 2000's for AS. And this info quite easily sourced.

Why? The site is east of the B4011 so closer to Piddington and north east of Arncott.

The image shows the proximity of the eastern boundaries to listed buildings in that village.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a915ff7df4246cf45e46670/Planning_Proposal_Statement.pdf

wendyann23

It isn’t a prison and the asylum seekers living there will be free to go wherever they want. I think is what those living in Piddington are concerned about. 2.3 miles is walking distance for young fit males with time on their hands and little to do. Maybe it would be better if the asylum seekers there were confined to the barracks until their claims processed? They are here illegally.

How do you know if they are here illegally? They are not illegals until their claims are processed, and not all of them are.

Piddington are getting all the publicity but have a thought for the village of Arncott adjacent to the depot. There is no accommodation on site it's all got to be built, water, drainage the lot. So unless it's all portacabins it's going to take a while.

The locals dont like it, tough , I wouldnt like it but migrants gave to go somewhere, if we are to continue hosting them we really need to increase the police supervision

Not a chance

Why not read the comprehensive planning documents?

www.gov.uk/guidance/urgent-crown-development-application-mod-bicester-site-a

How would it pass health and safety in Piddington?

I live in a 'green, leafy county'.- Cabridgeshire - with many desirable rural villages, many small like Piddington. Development of previous MOD facilities historically were converted to immigration centres- this is not a new phenomena. This did and can still happen anywhere in the country

So are all the normal, planning permission, health and safety, access, and the 101 other checks needed, still done?

It’s interesting reading the planning documents for the site.

There’s this:

The site was previously considered as an asylum seeker processing location in the early 2000’s. This site has previously been sold by the MOD to the Home Office. The Home Office gained planning permission for an asylum processing centre following a public inquiry and Secretary of State Decision in 2003. Although some enabling works relating to the access were carried out, no works on the centre began and in 2005 it was announced that the centre would not be built. Planning permission was subsequently granted for an Immigration Removal Centre in 2010 but did not proceed.

In June 2010 (so just a month after the election), the newly appointed Immigration Minister, Damian Green, officially scrapped the project. The government deemed the facility unaffordable under current plans (Wired)

So this all goes back to Tory austerity. There must always have been a possibility that the plan would be resurrected or the base would be used for something similar.

If someone had been living in Piddington before all that, they would know the history. Someone moving to Piddington since would surely have discovered all this too.

I couldnt care less which Political Party caused it all.
They have all had chances to come down hard on it[like Denmark do]. But failed miserably.

Local church groups, charities and residents formed visitors groups to support the detainees. Local volunteers regularly visited and provided clothes, books and recreational material and helped bridge the gap between the isolated base and the community and offered a humanitarian response to what many saw at the time as a harsh, fast tracked, detention centre.

I might have done the same thing.

Doesnt mean at all I want people who arrived illegally, in the Country.

I also dont think it matters a jot any more, what people who want them, say.
People have already made their minds up on this subject. A long time ago.

In fact, I think things are getting worse on the subject. Not better.

And the more that come[does it make much difference that the numbers have halved], the worse things become.

A daily poke, of numbers arriving, talking about it etc, makes it all worse.

wendyann23

It isn’t a prison and the asylum seekers living there will be free to go wherever they want. I think is what those living in Piddington are concerned about. 2.3 miles is walking distance for young fit males with time on their hands and little to do. Maybe it would be better if the asylum seekers there were confined to the barracks until their claims processed? They are here illegally.

They are seeking asylum not criminals to be imprisoned. The number of young men committing suicide and self harming when detained as you say is too high for us to ignore. No matter what people think these are human beings with loved ones and they are not asking to be located near Piddington, they have no choice.
I do however think they should not be located near a small village, there is nowhere for them to go and the villagers will probably be hostile because of their own fears.

Plevey08

The political party to blame is the Conservatives. Despite their 'Taking back Control ' slogan. It is Brexit that has caused the removal of the tools to manage Asylum Immigration..We ended the UK:s legal participation in the Dublin Regulation and cut off access to shared European databases.
That is why the LP are trying to go down the cooperation route with the EU. That is why there was the EU-UK summit in May 2025.

Agree totally.
And seeing as Farage, who orchestrated Brexit, caused the small boat crisis, he should be suggesting cooperation with the EU to solve the problem. But of course he isn’t. And he won’t.
I keep saying the same thing as you Plevey but is like some people have their fingers in their ears.

I agree Cossy. There was much negative publicity about Oakington Immigration centre before it was closed down. Thats is safety Concerns, increasing harm, relationships between staff and inmates and systemic blunders attracted media attention before it was closed- rightly so.

Human Rights organisation also used Oakington Immigration Centre and Brook house conditions to campaigned to give a voice to the detained.

When the Home Office announced it plans in 2000 to convert the RAF Oakingtom airfield to an Immigration Reception Centre reaction from local residents initially was 'mixed', e.g some anxiety and concerns about local security, housing values and inadequate infrastructure. But also concerns about the human rights of the detainees. However despite the initial anxiety, the community then reacted with empathy and organised support.

Local church groups, charities and residents formed visitors groups to support the detainees. Local volunteers regularly visited and provided clothes, books and recreational material and helped bridge the gap between the isolated base and the community and offered a humanitarian response to what many saw at the time as a harsh, fast tracked, detention centre.

See House of Commons-HomeAfairs Written Evidence Report Parliament UK alongside human rights concerns.

Camridshire Oakington residents response in 2000, after local engagement, contrasted hugely with the Piddington, Oxfordshire response in 2026.

It isn’t a prison and the asylum seekers living there will be free to go wherever they want. I think is what those living in Piddington are concerned about. 2.3 miles is walking distance for young fit males with time on their hands and little to do. Maybe it would be better if the asylum seekers there were confined to the barracks until their claims processed? They are here illegally.

"If they are over 4 miles away and in a secure setting I can't see how much Piddington will be affected."

The barracks are 2.3 miles away from Piddington.

Why would the setting be secure? It's not a prison.

LemonJam

Our county also previously had an immigration centre located in previous RAF facilities that was then leased to the Home Office and transformed into secure immigration reception, used for assessment process and as a secure removal centre. No high profile media attention and expensive desirable residential villages close by. It was subsequently closed because of safety concerns and poor conditions.

I live in a 'green, leafy county'.- Cabridgeshire - with many desirable rural villages, many small like Piddington. Development of previous MOD facilities historically were converted to immigration centres- this is not a new phenomena. This did and can still happen anywhere in the country.

Ah, but was it heavily and negatively publicised in some parts of the media, with 100% backing of some political parties?

AGAA4

Some towns have been used to accommodate asylum seekers and are full of HMOs. These are often towns where the population is not well off.
I don't know if crime figures are higher in these places.
The government decided that it was unfair to send asylum seekers to poorer towns and wealthier parts should share the burden.
I doubt if hundreds of asylum seekers will be bussed into Piddington. There would be nothing there for them. More likely if bussed anywhere to go to a larger town or city.
If they are over 4 miles away and in a secure setting I can't see how much Piddington will be affected.

Actually, having read some further info re MOD Bicester, I can see why it was selected.

I completely appreciate too the “anxiety” displayed by the Piddington residents.

However, choosing to live near an MOD, “live” or otherwise, would always constitute a “risk” of some form.

I can remember various barracks in parts of Essex, where residents would be most upset due to the number of military men who’d “invade” their pubs, bars and nightclubs.

It seems some people should have perhaps taken up residency on a desert island?

Plevey08

The political party to blame is the Conservatives. Despite their 'Taking back Control ' slogan. It is Brexit that has caused the removal of the tools to manage Asylum Immigration..We ended the UK:s legal participation in the Dublin Regulation and cut off access to shared European databases.
That is why the LP are trying to go down the cooperation route with the EU. That is why there was the EU-UK summit in May 2025.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

Some towns have been used to accommodate asylum seekers and are full of HMOs. These are often towns where the population is not well off.
I don't know if crime figures are higher in these places.
The government decided that it was unfair to send asylum seekers to poorer towns and wealthier parts should share the burden.
I doubt if hundreds of asylum seekers will be bussed into Piddington. There would be nothing there for them. More likely if bussed anywhere to go to a larger town or city.
If they are over 4 miles away and in a secure setting I can't see how much Piddington will be affected.

Our county also previously had an immigration centre located in previous RAF facilities that was then leased to the Home Office and transformed into secure immigration reception, used for assessment process and as a secure removal centre. No high profile media attention and expensive desirable residential villages close by. It was subsequently closed because of safety concerns and poor conditions.

I live in a 'green, leafy county'.- Cabridgeshire - with many desirable rural villages, many small like Piddington. Development of previous MOD facilities historically were converted to immigration centres- this is not a new phenomena. This did and can still happen anywhere in the country.