Residents in Piddington have been issued a stark six-word warning by a campaigner fighting plans to house asylum seekers at a former military site, who says the village is witnessing the same pattern that unfolded in Crowborough.
Kim Bailey, chair of Crowborough Shield, warned: “What you're seeing in Piddington is exactly what happened here.” Her comments come after the Government confirmed plans to keep using Crowborough Army Training Camp in East Sussex to accommodate asylum seekers until January 2030, subject to planning permission.
Similar pattern in two communities
Ms Bailey believes the developments in the two communities show how residents can be left facing major proposals while decisions about the future of their local area remain unresolved. “You know, Shabana Mahmood is still saying that she hasn't made a decision on Piddington despite spending millions of pounds, exactly what they did here in Crowborough,” she said.
The row in Piddington centres on plans to convert a former military storage site near the Oxfordshire village into accommodation for up to 1,256 male asylum seekers. The village has a population of around 350, meaning the proposed centre could house several times the number of people who live in the community itself.
Residents' concerns and symbolic vote
The plans have sparked anger among some residents, who have raised concerns about the scale of the proposed development, local infrastructure and the impact on village life. In September, residents held a symbolic vote in which the majority backed a proposal to declare independence from the UK in protest at the plans.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood faced questions over the proposal, with ministers maintaining that no final decision has been made on whether the Piddington site will be used. The Government has defended its wider strategy of using former military sites as an alternative to hotel accommodation for asylum seekers.
Cost and extension dispute
The potential cost has also become a major point of contention. Recent reports have put the cost of converting the former Ministry of Defence site at more than £250 million, although the Government has said cost assessments are part of its decision-making process.
Ms Bailey said the situation reminded her of the experience in Crowborough, where the former army training camp began accommodating asylum seekers in January 2026. The site is intended to house up to 540 people as part of the Government’s efforts to reduce its reliance on hotels while asylum claims are processed.
The Home Office says the accommodation is temporary and that the land is expected to be returned to the Ministry of Defence in the future. However, the proposed extension has become a source of continuing dispute with local authorities and campaigners.
Wealden District Council has opposed the use of the camp and questioned the Government’s decision to pursue an urgent planning process that would allow the application to be determined by the relevant Government department rather than the council. The Ministry of Defence has agreed to extend the use of the site until January 2030, subject to the necessary planning permission.
The planning application has not yet received a final decision, meaning the proposed end date is not an unconditional guarantee that the site will remain open until then. Ms Bailey said campaigners had been told the site would initially be available for a limited period, making the proposed extension particularly frustrating for residents.
“They still ram raided that through,” she said, referring to the process in Crowborough. She added that Angela Rayner had signed off the Crown Development order to keep the site open until 2030. “So really, yeah, so you're stuck with it until 2030 at the very least,” Ms Bailey said.
