Barton Stacey asylum seeker accommodation plans scrapped

Plans to accommodate up to 500 asylum seekers near a village in Hampshire have been withdrawn by the government.

In December, the Home Office said the Ministry of Defence land at Barton Stacey could be used because of "pressure on the system".

The plans had been opposed by Test Valley Borough Council and local Conservative MP Caroline Nokes.

More than 3,000 people had also signed an online petition opposing the proposal.

Ms Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, tweeted that the decision not to go ahead with the temporary accommodation would be a "relief to many".

The Home Office said it had "decided not to proceed" with plans for the contingency asylum accommodation on land near the A303.

"We continue to use our other contingency accommodation to ensure we continue to meet our statutory obligations towards destitute asylum seekers.

"Our New Plan for Immigration will reform the broken asylum system and as part of this we are currently consulting on proposals for reception centres to provide accommodation while claims are being processed."