Home Office to press ahead with 1,000-bed asylum site near Oxfordshire village of 400

The Home Office is proceeding with plans to house more than 1,000 asylum-seekers at a former military site near Piddington, Oxfordshire — a village of about 400 residents. Home Office minister Anna Turley said disused Ministry of Defence properties are "more contained" and have on-site facilities. Piddington held a symbolic independence referendum in protest; parish council vice-chairman Mike Nixon leads local opposition. The site is one of three former military locations proposed in June 2026.