Home Office U-turns on controversial plans to house hundreds of asylum seekers at four-star hotel – following months of violent protests outside spa where all staff were dramatically sacked
Controversial plans to house asylum seekers at a four-star spa hotel in south Wales have been dropped as the Home Office U-turns.
The proposals, which saw Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli sack its entire workforce so it could house more than 240 migrants, sparked fury amongst local residents and further afield.
Some protestors opposed to the plans have frequently clashed with the police over the past few months. Last week, six people were arrested after they forced their way into the grounds of the hotel and started a fire.
Eyewitness also reported seeing five ‘riot vans’ on Wednesday evening and Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were pelted with fireworks and other missiles, while vehicles were moved in an attempt to block fire engines from accessing the site.
The Home Office confirmed it would no longer be taking forward plans to adapt Stradey Park Hotel into asylum accommodation and added it would not be commenting further on contractual details.
Controversial plans to house asylum seekers at four-star Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli have been dropped
![Protestors opposed to the plans have frequently clashed with the police over the past few months](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/11/76375187-12614119-image-a-47_1696934378755.jpg)
Protestors opposed to the plans have frequently clashed with the police over the past few months
Asylum seekers had been set to arrive at the former spa hotel in the middle of summer but July, August, and September all came and went with no arrivals despite the Home Office saying months ago that people would start arriving ‘within weeks’.
Carmarthenshire Council leader Darren Price said he welcomed the ‘right decision’ for the hotel and the people of Furnace.
He added: ‘Now is the time for the community of Llanelli to come together to heal from the experience of the past few months.
‘On the issue of providing sanctuary to people in desperate need I will reiterate Carmarthenshire County Council’s desire to continue to welcome our share of asylum seekers from countries such as Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Syria to our county via the dispersal model which has worked successfully in Carmarthenshire for many years.’
Mr Price and chief executive Wendy Walters said they wrote to Home Office ministers and senior civil servants last week ‘outlining their concerns with regards to escalating community tensions and urging the UK Government to withdraw from the site’.
Last week, Mid and West Wales Fire Service said the hotel was deemed unsafe following an inspection due to a ‘change of use’.
This was mainly due to ‘insufficient fire separation between certain areas of the ground floor as well as insufficient means of detecting and giving warning of a fire’.
Hotel owner Gryphon Leisure was notified of a prohibition that ‘prevents the premises from being used for sleeping accommodation’.
![Last week, six people were arrested after they forced their way into the grounds of the hotel and started a fire](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/11/76375189-12614119-image-a-49_1696934386583.jpg)
Last week, six people were arrested after they forced their way into the grounds of the hotel and started a fire
![Protesters have been opposing the use of the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli for months (pictured: a protest in July)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/11/76156539-12614119-Protesters_have_been_opposing_the_use_of_the_Stradey_Park_Hotel_-a-51_1696934528959.jpg)
Protesters have been opposing the use of the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli for months (pictured: a protest in July)
![A police officer speaks to demonstrators outside the hotel in July](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/11/73062987-12614119-A_police_officer_speaks_to_demonstrators_outside_the_hotel_on_Mo-a-52_1696934578720.jpg)
A police officer speaks to demonstrators outside the hotel in July
Local residents have recently launched a plan to buy the hotel.
Stradey Park Hotel has warned protesters not to enter the grounds of the hotel – adding that it had installed CCTV cameras with facial recognition.
As of June 2023, there were more than 50,000 asylum seekers in hotels, costing £8.2 million a day.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘The number of people arriving in small boats is down compared with last year but we must go further to stop the boats in the first place.
‘That is why we are determined, through the Illegal Migration Act, to ensure that anyone arriving in the UK illegally is detained and swiftly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.
‘We are also working hard to reduce the unacceptable use of hotels by moving asylum seekers into alternative, cheaper accommodation, doubling them up in hotel rooms, and clearing the legacy backlog.’
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