Communities Secretary Angela Rayner has approved full planning permission for a former Ministry of Defence site in Bicester that would house 1,256 single male migrants, despite strong objections from the nearby village of Piddington. The decision has angered local residents, who say their concerns were not taken into account when the scheme was weighed.
The site is a former military base owned by the Ministry of Defence, and it is the proposed location for the accommodation. The plan would bring a large number of single male migrants to a site that sits close to a small rural community. Piddington has been at the centre of the opposition, and residents there have described the scheme as something imposed on them rather than discussed with them.
The strength of feeling in the village was made plain when Piddington villagers voted to leave the UK in protest at the proposal. The vote was a symbolic gesture of anger rather than a practical step, but it reflected how deeply the decision has divided the community. Residents say that despite making their objections clear through the planning process, the scheme has gone ahead in its original form, and they feel their voices have been brushed aside.
Those residents have said they will keep fighting the scheme. The backlash from the community is growing, and the government now faces the prospect of legal action over the housing plans. It is not yet clear whether a legal challenge will be filed, or whether one would succeed if it were. Nor has it been reported when the site would begin to be occupied, or whether the plan will be changed in response to local opposition.
For now the approval stands. The dispute over Piddington shows how a planning decision on a former military site can quickly become a broader question of consultation and trust between central government and the communities that live alongside such projects. Villagers have indicated that the fight is far from over, and the coming weeks will show whether their campaign leads to a formal challenge.