Controversial plans to use a historic former student dormitory in Cottingham to house asylum seekers were delayed just hours before they arrived.
Thwaite Hall was selected by the Home Office to accommodate up to 200 unmarried asylum seekers as part of an initial 12-month contract with housing provider Mears Group underway last month. The first was to arrive at the empty building today.
However, it was confirmed today that the plans have already been put on hold after the intervention of Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis, whose constituency includes Cottingham. This is after a meeting between Mr. Davis, Hull North MP Diana Johnson, East Riding Council housing portfolio holder Claire Homes and Home Secretary Kevin Foster yesterday.
Read more: Residents’ views on the plans of the Thwaite Hall Asylum Seeker Center
Mr Davis, who described the plan to house 200 unmarried men in Cottingham as “laughter”, said the emergency meeting was organized after concerns were raised at local level about the suitability of the proposal and the lack of appropriate and adequate public consultation. .
Mr Davis said: “Pausing these proposals is absolutely the right thing to do, but a stable and frank meeting with the Minister should not be needed to get to this point. The management of the Ministry of the Interior is incredibly bad.
Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis (Image: Getty Images)
“There was no consultation with the local community about these proposals and the communication was completely inadequate. The people of Cottingham deserve better.
“The Interior Ministry and the Mears Group must now use this period to hold appropriate consultations to inform about the suitability of these proposals. Each part of the country has to do its part and take its fair share of refugees, but the idea that 200 single elderly men are suitable for the Kotingham area is ridiculous.
“A mixture of families would be much more appropriate. I will continue to press the Ministry of the Interior to try to ensure that these proposals work for both migrants and, most importantly, for the Kotingham local community. “
Mr Davis said the current proposals would be unfair to both the people who come to live on the site and the local community, without paying much attention to the potential impact on local services, especially health and dental care. Both East Riding Council leader Jonathan Owen and Councilor Homes have also written to the Home Office, expressing concern after the proposals were first announced.
This aerial view shows the size of the area around Thwaite Hall
The historic hall with large open areas was previously managed by the University of Hull before being sold in 2018 as a potential development opportunity. Its new owners have planned to turn the site’s buildings into 30 apartments and 29 townhouses, along with 20 newly built houses and three townhouses.
According to the plans of the Ministry of Interior, the hall and part of the gardens will be set aside for newcomers to the country who are waiting for confirmation of their asylum application before being moved to other accommodation. Mears Group currently operates three Hull asylum facilities, including two hotels and a former nursing home.
Hull City Council initially protested the lack of public consultation over the Interior Ministry’s decision to start using the Royal Hotel in the city center. At the end of 2019, concerns were also expressed about the safety standards in the former apartment building, which is used by family groups.
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