Linton-on-Ouse residents fear their village could become a “ghost town” amid plans to house 1,200 asylum seekers at the former RAF base. (Photo: SWNS)
Luke Feather, 28, a tradesman whose house is currently on the market, said the proposed asylum accommodation was a factor in his decision to move. Feather said he and his partner moved to Linton-on-Ouse in 2022 after earlier plans to use the RAF site for asylum accommodation had been dropped. Residents say empty homes and uncertainty over the proposed asylum centre are adding to concerns in the North Yorkshire village of around 700 people. (Photo: SWNS) The former RAF Linton-on-Ouse site was earmarked by the government in June for asylum accommodation. Another resident, Igor Jelisejevs, 39, moved into an Annington-owned three-bedroom property at The Paddocks in August. The former RAF Linton-on-Ouse site in North Yorkshire has been earmarked for accommodation for around 1,200 adult male asylum seekers. (Photo: SWNS) Not all residents share the same concerns. Meanwhile, 84-year-old Michael Thompson said his family had considered moving but instead decided to install CCTV cameras. Another resident, a 50-year-old mother of four who moved to the UK from South Africa five years ago, said the prospect of the centre had brought back memories of violence she experienced previously.
Residents of a North Yorkshire village fear their community could become a “ghost town” if controversial plans to accommodate up to 1,200 adult male asylum seekers at a former RAF base go ahead. “We had just got engaged and were looking for somewhere to settle down, and we couldn’t argue with the prices,” he said. “All the houses are empty because of the migrant plans,” she claimed. Five weeks later, it is still the same,” he said. However, Jelisejevs said the proposed plans did not personally concern him. I will be able to look after myself,” he said. Ayoub Sabir, 33, who lives on Maple Grove, said he was not “bothered” by the proposed arrival of asylum seekers as long as appropriate security measures were in place. “I believe in the security system, and I think we will be safe,” said Sabir, who recently became a father. “It has left people in limbo,” Thompson said. She said she had been hijacked and had a gun held to her head before moving to the UK. “We came to the UK to escape fear and somewhere our children will be safe,” she said. Martin Sanderson, a prominent member of the Linton-on-Ouse Action Group, accused the Home Office of making the village “inaccessible and unsafe” for residents and families.
“But when the migrant plans came up, it was upsetting as we love the area but it accelerated our plans to move out. “Who would want to move in with this looming over your head? His home is close to the former RAF base. “When I moved in I had two neighbours. “The plans don’t really bother me. “But it is a shame really that people are being put off by the plans. A sign outside his home reads: “Asylum Centre: Still the Wrong Place, Wrong Plan. “But these plans have ruined it for us if they go ahead. North Yorkshire Police has warned that if the government proceeds with the plans, policing protests around the site could require significant resources and potentially put pressure on policing elsewhere in the county. The concerns have also been raised directly with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood by York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith and Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime Jo Coles. However, such claims remain part of the ongoing local dispute over the proposed accommodation centre.
Some homeowners have already put their properties on the market and say they could face losses of up to 20 per cent, according to SWNS. The village, which has around 700 residents, has been at the centre of a renewed debate over plans to use the former RAF Linton-on-Ouse site to house asylum seekers. Homeowners in Linton-on-Ouse say they may face losses of up to 20% if they sell their properties amid uncertainty over the asylum accommodation plans. (Photo: SWNS) New images from the village show around 35 newly renovated former Ministry of Defence homes across two new-build estates currently standing vacant, according to SWNS. Alice Sizer, 44, who moved into a three-bedroom home at Linton Meadows with her husband and five-year-old daughter in 2023, said she would consider leaving if the plans are approved. Sizer claimed she could lose around £100,000 by selling her property, including approximately £50,000 she has invested in the home. Just across from Linton Meadows is Linton Place, where 20 four-bedroom detached homes are owned by Annington. Annington has been renovating former RAF housing in the area as part of its Linton Collection, with properties advertised for between £1,325 and £1,850 a month.
Residents say the availability of homes has remained a concern since the asylum plans were announced. One elderly resident, who did not want to be named, said she moved in July after the proposal was announced.
The Linton-on-Ouse Action Group surveyed 404 residents and found that 60 per cent of renters questioned said they were “very likely” to leave if the plans proceed, according to data cited by SWNS. “We have a strong connection to the area as my husband’s dad was in the RAF and he was posted at the base for a short while,” she said. Sizer said her concerns were about feeling secure rather than race or religion. This isn’t about race or religion, just wanting to feel secure in our own homes,” she said. Only four of the properties are currently rented, according to the information provided.
Dozens of residents in Linton-on-Ouse, near York, have reportedly considered selling their homes and moving elsewhere amid uncertainty over the proposed asylum accommodation centre. Other nearby estates owned by property developer Annington have also reportedly seen residents moving in and out following the announcement of the proposed asylum centre. “Our daughter goes to the same school Ian went to and she loves it. “We are normal working families.
Council raises concerns over village’s future
If approved, the centre is expected to house around 1,200 single men aged between 18 and 65. Residents have raised concerns about the potential scale of the facility in a village of around 700 people. Plans announced in 2022 to house around 1,500 asylum seekers at the former RAF base were subsequently abandoned. Residents have drawn comparisons with 2022, when the departure of RAF personnel contributed to concerns about the village becoming increasingly empty.
The Home Office has said the site would be secure and would operate for a minimum of three years. Six of the seven North Yorkshire MPs, along with North Yorkshire Council leader Cllr Carl Les OBE, have said they do not believe the former RAF Linton-on-Ouse site is an appropriate location for a large-scale asylum accommodation centre. North Yorkshire Council said there were concerns that the proposed facility could “damage confidence, hinder future regeneration and conflict with wider ambitions for housing, employment and economic growth.
The proposal is not the first attempt to use the location for asylum accommodation. The council was approached for further comment. Annington declined to comment, while the Home Office was also approached for a response. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.