Locals enraged as 83 asylum seekers moved into £250,000 homes on 'Migrant Street'

A row has erupted in a Shropshire village after it emerged that dozens of asylum seekers are set to be housed in newly built homes originally linked to a £250,000 housing development.

Residents in Stoke Heath say they have been left stunned by the plans for 21 newbuild properties, which are expected to accommodate around 83 asylum seekers and their families.

The estate has already been dubbed “Migrant Street” locally, with one family understood to have moved in already and further arrivals expected in the coming weeks.

The development has triggered claims from villagers that the original purpose of the homes was not properly explained, with some insisting they believed the properties were intended for affordable housing.

Anger has centred on both the scale of the scheme and what residents describe as a lack of communication.

One resident reportedly said: “It’s bang out of order.

“It doesn’t feel fair that these people will be living in shiny new homes free of charge, which hard-working local folk could never afford.”

It is understood others say they only became aware of the situation after details circulated online, describing the announcement as a shock.

Melanie Almond is reported to have said: “It was like a bomb’s gone off and you’ve got ten minutes to get out. It was a complete shock. I found out on the internet. We couldn’t believe it.”

According to the Sun, Emma O’Sullivan, 30, said the change in use had raised wider concerns about local infrastructure and trust in planning decisions.

She told reporters: “We were told that the new development would be social houses, which was fine, but no one moved in for a year.

“Now we’re told they will be used for asylum seekers and they’re not part of the social housing at all. We feel like we’ve been lied to.

“I’ve got three teenage girls and we’re really worried. It’s not who they are, it’s how many there are. It’ll overload the infrastructure. There are only two primary schools in the area so if they’re all families that’s going to flood the primary schools. It’s just, ‘They’re here, put up with them’.”

Another local said the estate was already being referred to informally as “Migrant Street”, arguing the situation was unfair compared with local housing demand.

They said: “It’s bang out of order and people now call it ‘Migrant Street’, which will be pretty accurate. It doesn’t feel fair that these people will be living in shiny new homes free of charge, which hard-working local folk could never afford.”

Former serviceman John “Basil” Brockhurst also criticised the allocation of housing, saying priority should be given to people already struggling financially in the UK.

He said: “To me there’s a lot more people that need brand new housing rather than people who make out they come from far away countries.”

Local political figures have also entered the row, warning the development is unsuitable for the area.

Conservative MP Mark Pritchard described Stoke Heath as a “completely inappropriate location”, arguing the village lacks the infrastructure to support the scheme.

He said: “Stoke Heath is an isolated rural location with very few public services.

“This is the wrong location and at the wrong scale. I will fight these ill-conceived plans all the way.”

Shropshire Council has formally raised concerns with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, stating it is awaiting a response before deciding its next steps.

A spokesperson confirmed the authority has written to express “strong concerns” about the proposal.

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John-Paul Campion also described the plans as “wholly inappropriate”.

The Government, however, has defended the wider policy as part of efforts to reduce the use of asylum hotels and shift accommodation into housing and disused sites.

Officials say the approach is intended to cut costs and reduce reliance on hotel rooms by 2029.

Latest figures show 20,885 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels as of March, with a further 72,768 placed in alternative accommodation such as Houses in Multiple Occupation and temporary camps while claims are processed.

Serco, which oversees asylum accommodation in the West Midlands, said it operates under direct instruction from the Home Office.

A spokesman said: “We work under the direction of the Home Office, who decide where ­people are placed, based on overall national demand.

“The Home Office determines how many people are to be accommodated in each local authority area and instruct us accordingly.”

The Home Office added: “This Government is restoring order to the system by making record levels of asylum decisions, cutting claims by 12 per cent and increasing removals of illegal migrants by 41 per cent.

“We are working closely with local authorities to ramp up the closure of asylum hotels across the UK.

Hotel numbers have more than halved since their peak and instead we are scaling up the use of large, basic accommodation for illegal migrants to reduce community impact.”