The village that voted to leave the UK in protest at plans for a giant migrant camp on its doorstep is now suing the Home Office in a fresh effort to frustrate the scheme.
Campaigners in Piddington, Oxfordshire, claim the Home Office broke the law by ignoring the potential threat to wildlife posed by the plan to turn a former Ministry of Defence (MoD) site into a home for up to 1,256 undocumented male asylum seekers.
In papers submitted to the High Court, they allege the Home Office has failed to take account of the endangered wildlife around the site, including some of the rarest bats in Britain.
In the submission, villagers claim the Home Office ‘erred in law’ by concluding that the camp was unlikely to damage the environment without carrying out a full assessment which, they say, would show it needs to introduce measures to protect the wildlife.
The claim is brought by Bicester Countryside and Communities CIC, a community interest company set up to represent Piddington and the legal entity behind the Wrong Plan Wrong Site campaign.
A spokesman for the group told The Telegraph: ‘We are asking the Government to demonstrate that it has followed the law and properly assessed the environmental consequences of a development of this scale and in this environmentally sensitive location.
‘This is a substantial proposal, affecting a rural site and surrounding communities for at least ten years. There are legitimate questions about its potential environmental impact.
‘We want the court to examine whether the Government lawfully concluded that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was unnecessary.’
An aerial view of Piddington, with the MoD Bicester site in the background
Returning officer Susannah Parden announces the result of the symbolic 'referendum' last month
The former MoD Bicester site – one of three ex-military sites where the Home Office is proposing to house a total of 3,750 asylum seekers – was used as a military equipment storage facility.
It is situated next to Piddington Reserve – a field where children play football and locals walk their dogs, on the edge of the 350-strong village which has no shops or facilities beyond a church and community hall.
If the residents’ legal action is successful, it would require the Home Office to carry out a full environmental impact assessment. If this confirmed the presence of rare species, it could delay the scheme for months.
Joe Marshall, a Piddington parish councillor and planning expert, said readings with specialist bat detectors had pinpointed the presence of Barbastelle bats – there are thought to be as few as 5,000 in the UK.
He said the black hairstreak, one of Britain’s rarest butterflies, has been spotted in the Reserve. Environmental records and surveys have also recorded great crested newts, otters and badgers, residents say.
Many of the species are protected by the 2017 Conservation of Habitats and Species regulations, which means developers can only proceed with work that might disturb their environment if they apply for and are granted a licence by Natural England.
Mr Marshall said: ‘Residents are still going out with detectors surveying the bats every few nights. They can tell from the different frequency level which kind of bat is out there. But it is not for us to be doing the job of the Government.’
The Urgent Crown Development application will be decided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which must consult statutory consultees, including Natural England, as part of the planning process.
The Government has promised to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers and will use former military sites instead. Two are already up and running – Wethersfield in Essex, and Crowborough in East Sussex.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said middle-class areas such as Piddington should 'play their part'.
Local residents pose with a 'Principality of Piddington' sign in the Oxfordshire village following the referendum result
Alongside the Oxfordshire village, sites in Barnham in Norfolk, and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire have also been identified.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘It would be inappropriate to comment on the detail of a live planning application while it remains under consideration.’
Last month’s symbolic referendum in Piddington saw 312 votes counted – a 92 per cent turnout – with 285 backing independence. Only 26 voted against, with one spoiled ballot paper.
The vote had no legal force but aimed to make clear to Westminster the strength of local feeling over the proposed asylum accommodation.