Government scraps plans to house up to 400 asylum seekers at former hotel in village near Northampton

The Government has scrapped controversial plans to house up to 400 asylum seekers at a former hotel near Northampton.

Proposals to house asylum seekers at the former Highgate House Hotel in the village of Creaton have been cancelled by the Home Office, according to the Conservative MP for Daventry, Chris Heaton-Harris.

Mr Heaton-Harris said that the U-turn is due ‘to a change in accommodation criteria which means Highgate House has been deemed unsuitable’ by the Government.

The MP wrote on his Facebook page tonight (Friday, January 13): "I would like to thank everyone who has contacted me regarding Highgate House in Creaton and to the 500+ responses I received to my consultation over the past week.

"I am delighted to update residents that the Home Office has informed the local authority of its decision to stand down Highgate House as asylum seeker accommodation. This is due to a change in accommodation criteria which means Highgate House has been deemed unsuitable.

"Thank you again to everyone who submitted consultation responses and to Creaton Parish Council chair James Hill for his hard work representing local residents."

West Northants Council (WNC), Mr Heaton-Harris, Creaton Parish Council and Creaton residents have been campaigning against the plans since they were announced in December.

Creaton Parish Council celebrated the news on its Facebook page, saying the village has 'won the battle for now'.

The parish council wrote: "Our campaign has been successful and we can all be satisfied that our coordinated, consensus based, community approach has won the battle for now.

"It has been an anxious period for Creaton and the surrounding villages and we have all felt a great responsibility to do our best to prevent this decision from being implemented.

"What happens next we are not sure just yet. The news is still sinking in. We will receive more detail in the coming days but for the foreseeable future we can be assured that the asylum housing will not go ahead in Creaton.

"Perhaps a glass to celebrate. Congratulations everyone."

The village and WNC's main concerns were that Creaton was not an 'unsuitable' location for 400 asylum seekers, which could have either been a cohort of families or young men.

A WNC spokesman said: “We welcome the Home Office’s decision not to pursue plans to temporarily house up to 400 additional asylum seekers in the area.

“The decision comes after we expressed concerns over the unsuitability of the proposed location and the added strain the plan would place on already-stretched health, education and social care.”

Click here to read more.