Fury over plans to house 70 asylum seekers in Welsh village
Plans to house 70 asylum seekers next to a medical centre in the heart of a Welsh village have sparked uproar.Police officers kept watch and patrolled Rhosllanerchrugog, near Wrexham, today as around 500 locals queued for the packed public meeting.In the end so many people arrived that the event had to be held outdoors. Many say the former sheltered housing should instead be used by the under-pressure NHS to relieve bed-blocking in hospitals. They also fear that if the proposal goes ahead, it could house single men about whose backgrounds they know nothing, leaving them feeling unsafe in their own homes.The plan is part of efforts to disperse asylum seekers from hotels and private landlords to new or refurbished properties amid fury over the multi-billion pound accommodation bill.Earlier this month 1,000 residents took to the streets to protest against plans to house hundreds of migrants in a Sussex town's former army barracks.Following an outcry in the former colliery village - known by locals as Rhos - a hand-made banner draped on a fence reads: 'Keep our kids safe.' One worried local, Eric Evans, 85, said: 'I'm glad so many people turned up. 'It's completely out of order and should never have been suggested. Around 500 worried locals turned up for a public meeting over plans to accommodate asylum seekers at a former sheltered housing complex in Rhosllanerchrugog, near Wrexham Police monitored crowds arriving to raise concerns about the proposed new use for the Plas yn Rhos complex'It's the wrong place. The building should be used for something else, help the hospital, ease bed-blocking.'It's a safety fear mainly.'Mother-of-one Kate Hughes, 31, who is expecting her second child, said: 'I'm not happy about it. 'Unfortunately we live directly opposite, we would be overlooking the facility. I wouldn't feel safe in my own home. 'Our people are struggling, the NHS is in crisis and a facility like that would be amazing to have as a rehabilitation unit.'I'm absolutely opposed.'Mandy Gascoygne, 54, said: 'We don't know anything about these people. There are no checks on them.'We are only a small village. This is the wrong place. Locals say the empty Plas Yn Rhos site (pictured) is 'the wrong place' to house asylum seekers and it should instead be used to relieve pressure on the NHS So many people wanted to attend the public meeting at Hafod Colliery Club that it was eventually moved outdoors'We would be worrying about children's safety.'Today's packed meeting was scheduled for Hafod Colliery Club in the former colliery village, which has a population of about 10,000. Wrexham councillor Paul Pemberton said: 'They have to go somewhere but this is the wrong place. 'The public response has been 99 per cent opposed to it. People are more than deeply worried.'Nobody knows who would come.'The Plas yn Rhos complex is a former local authority sheltered housing facility which closed in 2016. Wrexham council said: 'The Home Office proposals are for 35 units for families of up to two people per unit.'We are planning to submit a response objecting to the proposal.'The council has been consulted by the Home Office in relation to the property on two previous occasions, and both times has strongly opposed the proposed use.'But Wrexham's Labour MP Andrew Ranger said the proposal was being led by private asylum accommodation provider Clearsprings Ready Homes. Locals have erected banners expressing their concerns over plans to house 70 migrants in the village Plas yn Rhos (pictured) is a former local authority sheltered housing facility which closed in 2016'While Plas yn Rhos is located just outside my Wrexham constituency, I recognise that its potential impact, particularly on our local GP surgeries, schools, and infrastructure, will be felt deeply by my constituents,' he said. 'Any change of use for the building will require formal scrutiny, and this remains the proper channel for local concerns regarding the suitability of the site and the pressure on public services to be addressed.'Clearsprings Ready Homes was approached for comment. Official figures show there are 36,000 asylum seekers in hotels and around 71,000 in 'dispersal' accommodation in the private rented sector.The cost of the contracts awarded to Serco, Clearsprings and Mears has tripled from £4.5billion to £15.3billion, according to figures from the National Audit Office.A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.'This Government will close every asylum hotel. 'Work is well underway to move asylum seekers into more suitable accommodation such as military bases, to ease pressure on communities across the country.'We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across Government so that we can accelerate delivery.'
