Yesterday Cllr Nicholas Prideaux (Barton Stacey Parish Council Chairman) along with Christian Dryden (Longparish Parish Council Chairman) were invited to attend a virtual meeting with Home Office
Officials to hear about the current plans for the site and for the PCs to ask questions to ensure that our concerns were understood.
It was a very useful meeting and they confirmed that it would be approximately 300 males accommodated at the site, which would likely be used in total for a 12 month period. What was also made clear was that due to on-going planning and environmental issues (which could take up to 12 weeks to conclude) any decision which will be made by Home Office Officials, over the site’s suitability, isn’t going to be for another couple of months at a minimum. If the site is at this point given the go ahead it would then take more time to source the accommodation and get the site ready for occupation.
Another virtual meeting will be taking place at the end of February/start of March and again the PC will communicate an update following this meeting.
I have supported Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the Southampton area for the past 15 years. They are often traumatised and depressed at leaving their homes. They always need access to lawyers, doctors, dentists and other support services such as The Red Cross, basic English lessons, other Charities who have expertise in helping them. Often they are required to report to a police station, not because they have done anything wrong, but merely so the Home Office can keep track of where they are. Coming from different countries, they value having access to familiar food/spices which they can get in bigger cities. Some may be Muslims therefore need Halal food. Many have little money, costs of travel is a big issue, so unlikely to be able to use buses regularly, (even if there is a bus service?). They are not allowed to work but badly need occupation. At least there is some hope of this in a city. Often they volunteer to work for a Charity, to be occupied and feel included in our society. How likely is that in Barton Stacey on this isolated site? I
To accommodate 300 young men on one isolated site seems to me problematic in itself, let along 300 troubled young men from varied countries of different ethnicities, who have left their homes. They will feel totally unwelcome. The site seems to be isolated from local people and how would 300 young men be able to be involved, without overwhelming all local provision?
I do not live in Barton Stacey but nearby.
To me it seems a totally unsuitable site for above reasons.