The Home Office is considering three former Ministry of Defence sites to house around 3,750 asylum seekers, as it continues to close unpopular asylum hotels. The sites identified are MoD Bicester, MoD Barnham, and MoD Linton-on-Ouse. Officials have begun discussions but have not yet obtained planning permission, and the plans are expected to face local opposition.
Conservative MP Nick Timothy has already voiced opposition to the use of RAF Barnham near Thetford, warning it “would affect safety, services and cohesion”. The Home Office previously attempted to use Linton-on-Ouse in 2022 under the Conservative government, but the Ministry of Defence withdrew the plans.
The government already uses the former RAF base Wethersfield in Essex to house migrants, and plans to expand bed spaces there from 800 to over 1,200. Minister Alex Norris defended the move to larger sites, stating they help “reduce those pull factors” for migrants, despite often being more costly than hotels.
Refugee charities have condemned the decision, arguing that former military sites cause “profound and long-lasting harm” to asylum seekers’ mental and physical health. Kamena Dorling of the Helen Bamber Foundation described the sites as “extremely isolated, resemble prisons with barbed wire and surveillance and lack privacy”, warning of devastating consequences including depression and suicidal ideation.
Twenty more hotels have been closed since April, including The Bell hotel in Epping, which was targeted by anti-migrant protesters in 2025 and shut due to fire safety concerns. The Home Office has reduced hotel numbers by more than half from their peak, with around 21,000 asylum seekers still in hotel accommodation. Minister Norris said: “We promised to close every asylum hotel… and that is exactly what we are doing.”
