Ex-military base will become home to 1,250 single adult male asylum seekers, Home Office says to the dismay of 'concerned' villagers

By OLIVIA DAY, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 16:56, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 16:59, 1 July 2026 An ex-military base could soon provide accommodation for 1,250 'single adult male' asylum seekers despite the concerns of nearby villagers.  Home Office documents show the site in Bicester, Oxfordshire, would be used to house men 'between the ages of 18 and 65 who have applied for asylum'.  The men will not be detained, but would need to use a sign-in-sign-out system to leave the site which is located between the villages of Piddington and Upper Arncott. The Home Office said the ex-military base would be self-contained and largely self-sufficient to minimise the impact on local services. Tim McNally, the chair of Piddington Parish Council, said the women and children in his community would have to 'adapt their lives to accommodate these men'.  He said villagers had already met to discuss the conditions they will demand are met before the contentious plan goes ahead.  The announcement has also sparked criticism from Woodstock MP Calum Miller, who said over 7,000 residents had signed his petition against the decision.  'I have written to Ministers demanding an immediate explanation of how long No 10 and the Home Office have been working on these plans while keeping local people, and even the base itself, in the dark,' he wrote on Facebook.  An ex-military base could soon provide accommodation for 1,250 'single adult male' asylum seekers despite the concerns of nearby villagers (pictured, MOD Bicester) The military base is pictured prior to D-Day in 1944 when the UK was the central staging ground and command center for the largest amphibious invasion in history 'It is increasingly clear this is a No 10 and Home Office decision with MOD Bicester and the wider community left to deal with the consequences without any meaningful say. If Andy Burnham is serious about ending top-down diktats from London, he should come to Bicester and hear the strength of local opposition for himself.' Mr Miller said the proposed site at MOD Bicester was isolated and unsuitable in a statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday.  'To my constituents, this feels like a decision taking in secret in Whitehall and imposed on Bicester, with local people treated like an afterthought,' he said.  'In less than 72 hours, 7,156 residents have signed my petition opposing this move.  'Opposition is stretched across the political spectrum, across parties and the community. Because this isolated site is wrong for those seeking asylum and the small villages around it, with no credible plan for local services, support or social cohesion.' If approved, MOD Bicester would be used for a minimum of 10 years to house 1,250 asylum seekers, with 270 expected to move in by the end of 2026.   The Daily Mail has contacted Mr McNally for further comment.   The proposal comes after the government announced plans to use two more military sites for asylum accommodation amid a push to end the use of hotels.  RAF Barnham will house asylum seekers under plans announced by Labour earlier this month The announcement has also sparked criticism from Woodstock MP Calum Miller (pictured) who said over 7,000 residents had signed his petition against the decision. Previous plans to house up to 1,500 asylum seekers at RAF Linton-on-Ouse were abandoned in 2022 following protests by nearby households (pictured) Aside from Bicester, ministers said they had lodged planning applications to turn RAF Barnham in Suffolk and RAF Linton-on-Ouse in Yorkshire into accommodation.  They also outlined plans to extend and expand the use of existing sites in Crowborough until 2030 and Wethersfield beyond 2027. Overall, the plans would create close to another 5,000 beds.  Previous plans to house up to 1,500 asylum seekers at RAF Linton-on-Ouse were abandoned in 2022 following outcry and a legal challenge from the local council. Earlier this month, ministers announced the closure of another 20 hotels where migrants were being housed, including the Bell Hotel in Epping. The Bell Hotel came under scrutiny last year after Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman just eight days after arriving via a small boat.  Labour said the hotel closures would save taxpayers £170million this financial year and claimed overall asylum costs had already been reduced by nearly £1billion. It has pledged to stop using asylum hotels by the next election.  The number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels has fallen to its lowest level since data was first reported in 2022, according to Home Office figures.  There were 20,885 people staying in hotel accommodation while they were awaiting a decision on their asylum claims at the end of March, down 35% year-on-year from 32,326. The total had climbed as high as 56,018 at the end of September 2023. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.