Home Office U-turn on housing asylum seekers at Georgian mansion

Home Office performs U-turn on housing asylum seekers at former children’s learning centre after local backlash

  • Home Office U-turned on housing asylum seekers in Georgian mansion in Wales 
  • Officials predict as many as 80,000 could make illegal crossings this year 

The Home Office has performed a U-turn on housing asylum seekers at a Grade-II listed Georgian mansion after a massive backlash.

Former children’s learning centre Marle Hall, on the edge of Snowdonia, Wales, was earmarked on Friday to house asylum seekers as the Home Office struggled to find suitable accommodation. 

Ministers have now turned back on the idea to house migrants in the 15-bedroom mansion that is more than 300 miles away from Dover, just months after Tory MPs vented fury at migrants staying in a luxury £300-a-night Hilton hotel that was also in Snowdonia.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has vowed to stop migrants making illegal crossings but officials predicted yesterday that 80,000 people could make the journey this year.

Aberconwy Tory MP Robin Millar had expressed ‘strong concerns’ about the suitability of Marle Hall and welcomed the U-turn as a ‘relief for many in the community’. 

The Home Office was planning to house migrants in Grade-II listed Georgian mansion Marle Hall (pictured), which is more than 300 miles away from Dover

The decision to earmark the 15-bedroom mansion for asylum seekers caused backlash within the community 

Aberconwy Tory MP Robin Millar had expressed ‘strong concerns’ about the suitability of Marle Hall and welcomed the U-turn as a ‘relief for many in the community’. Pictured: Plush red sofas in the spacious mansion

Home Secretary Suella Braverman (pictured today) has vowed to stop migrants making illegal crossings but officials predicted yesterday that 80,000 people could make the journey this year

Earlier this month Braverman told parliament: ‘For a government not to respond to waves of illegal migrants breaching our border would be to betray the will of the people we were elected to serve.’ 

After the news today Millar said: ‘I welcome the news that Marle Hall will not be used as a Home Office facility.

‘I know this news will come as a relief for many in the community who were unsure how many people were coming, who they were, how long they would be here and why.

Aberconwy MS Janet Finch Saunders also raised ‘serious objections’ to the plan to house migrants in Marle Hall (pictured last week) in an urgent letter last week

Police were seen outside the mansion after concerns over plans to house asylum seekers there

‘It is also important that this decision had been reached after proper consideration of the wellbeing of those within Home Office facilities.

‘When I discussed this with North Wales Police Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman and Rhun ap Gareth, Chief Executive of Conwy Council it was clear there were concerns that the Hall was the wrong premises in the wrong location and risked bringing an extra burden to stretched local services.

‘I’d like to thank them for their swift response – clearly our view has prevailed on the Home Office. 

The large mansion is surrounded by nature and is just a few miles away from the Irish Sea

Inside, bedrooms were seen to have pale green walls and bunk beds in photos released ahead of its auction last year

The mansion was reportedly built in 1661 but large swathes of the property were destroyed by fire in the 1770s

It used to be a children’s learning centre, after it was bought by the local council in 1971

‘My thanks also to all those residents who’ve taken the time to contact me about this matter.’ 

Aberconwy MS Janet Finch Saunders also raised ‘serious objections’ to the plan in an urgent letter last week. 

Georgian mansion Marle Hall was bought by Warwickshire council in 1971.

Local Conservative MP Robin Millar said: ‘I know this news will come as a relief for many in the community who were unsure how many people were coming, who they were, how long they would be here and why’

It was used as an outward bound learning centre, providing residential trips and courses for schoolchildren until in shut in October 2021.

Last week the Home Office admitted the use of hotels to house asylum seekers was ‘unacceptable’. 

It added: ‘We remain committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use and limit the burden on the taxpayer and the local communities.

‘We continue to engage with local authorities as early as possible whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation and work to ensure arrangements are safe for hotel residents and local people.’

In November Millar had also expressed concern at migrants staying at the four-star Hilton Garden Inn in Snowdonia.

The hotel in Dolgarrog, Conwy, was part of Adventure Parc Snowdonia that included a specialist inland surfing resort. 

Last year there were concerns after it was revealed that migrants were staying at the four-star Hilton Garden Inn, which is part of a Snowdonia resort in Dolgarrog, Conwy

The hotel (pictured) is 21 miles from Mount Snowdon but 300 miles from the English Channel, much like Marle Hall

A total of 87 migrants were brought into the harbour at Dover in Kent yesterday after being intercepted at sea, bringing the total of illegal crossing so far for 2023 to 3,767

It is 21 miles from Mount Snowdon but 300 miles from the English Channel and costs £146 to £300-a-night.

Last year more than 45,000 people made the illegal crossing but officials expect the number to be almost double this year.

READ MORE: Boats carrying 87 migrants arrived in Dover as Government pushes on with its illegal migration bill 

Nearly 4,000 migrants have already made illegal crossings to the UK so far this year. 

A total of 45,728 people arrived in 1,104 boats last year, compared to around 28,000 in 2021 and 8,500 in 2020. 

Meanwhile, around 20,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean and reached the shores of Italy so far this year – three times the number at this time in 2022. 

Most attempt to cross the English Channel in dinghies and other small boats now that authorities have clamped down on other routes, such as stowing away on buses or trucks.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: ‘The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.

‘Our priority is to stop this illegal trade, and our new Small Boats Operational Command – bolstered by hundreds of extra staff – is working alongside our French partners and other agencies to disrupt the people smugglers.

‘We are also going further by introducing legislation which will ensure that those people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and swiftly removed to another country.’

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