But less than two miles away from the centre of the Essex village, a former RAF base housing hundreds of asylum seekers who arrived in the UK on small boats has caused deep divisions in the community.
But rather than shutting its gates, the number of people there has continued to increase.
In February, capacity at Wethersfield increased from 580 to 800, before a rise to 1,245 was confirmed on 24 July in a letter from the Home Office seen by The i Paper .
The capacity at the former military base in Wethersfield is due to increase by 50 per cent to more than 1,200 (Photo: Tom Pilston)
When The i Paper visited Wethersfield this week, some in the community expressed sympathy for those housed at the base. But others were bitterly opposed to numbers increasing and called for the site to be shut down.
In 2023, migrants protested after outbreaks of scabies, with medics warning of concerns over suicidal thoughts and severe psychological distress. Fights have also broken out among those housed there.
Thirty miles away in Epping, protests outside a migrant hotel have descended into clashes with police in recent weeks, after an asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl. The man denies the charge.
Asylum seekers are taken by minibus for trips into local towns (Photo: Tom Pilston)“We’ve had a couple of issues, but I think unlike Epping, where the hotel was literally on the high street, there is some wire and security between the nearest public access roads, footpaths, etc and the nearest asylum accommodation,” he told The i Paper.
Councillor Michael Staines
Asylum seekers at the site are not detained, with a shuttle bus three times a day to Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford.
That’s a belief shared by Nick Godley, the former chair of Wethersfield Parish Council, who said while he was “not over the moon” about the capacity increase, conditions at the base had improved for residents.
The pretty village of Wethersfield sits less than two miles from the ex-RAF base (Photo: Tom Pilston)
He believes failing to address issues such as additional catering facilities could lead to trouble at the site, which is run by Clearsprings Ready Homes. “But if they’ve got their heads around it may be OK. They’re moving people through the site quicker now, which obviously helps. I believe the stay is down to something like 70 or 80 days now,” he said.
He said he had sympathy for the Government grapping with the “insoluble” issue of mass migration.
The former RAF base now serves as accommodation for young men seeking ayslum in the UK. Many have arrived on small boats crossing the Channel (Photo: Tom Pilston)
Simone Sutcliffe, 78, who lives yards from the airbase’s barbed-wire fence, said people felt “let down” by the Government, adding she was “not happy” about capacity increasing.
“James Cleverly has also let us down. And Priti Patel. She was against it as well,” she said. “Originally, we were only supposed to get a couple of hundred and it grew and grew.”
Another resident living opposite the base said: “It doesn’t really affect us. They’re quite good. They’re not coming up here very much. We have lost on the value of our houses.
Ali, who has fled from the conflict in Sudan, said he arrived in the UK on a small boat a month ago (Photo: Tom Pilston)
Speaking through the perimeter fence, Ali, a 21-year-old asylum seeker from Sudan, said he arrived in England on a small boat a month ago two years after fleeing the war-torn country on his own.
Conditions inside the base were good, he said, with three people sleeping per room and bus journeys into nearby towns
“She said they walk past and they just stare at you. The other week, I was driving back from work up the road and there must have been 50 or 60 of them on the road up there sitting drinking tins of beer, smoking some weed,” he said.
Another local resident, Pamela Price, 86, said: “I sincerely hope that the powers that be will do their job properly and organise these people. They [the Government] can’t do right for doing wrong.”
Allan McKenzie, who chairs a local campaign group, is concerned trouble could flare at the base due to the increased capacity (Photo: Tom Pilston)He said: “Nobody trusts the Home Office any more on what they say, and therefore we take that comment with a pinch of salt.
“That has historically been the case. And I’m not sure that the Home Office has learned by its mistakes.”
Hence then, the article about the home office asylum site dividing a historic english village was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Home Office asylum site dividing a historic English village )
Also on site :
- One person in critical condition following two-vehicle collision on SR-126 at Boosey Road
- Supermarket timings for Boxing Day and New Year revealed for Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Lidl and more
- EastEnders airs reunion for 'Witches of Walford', shock arrest, and Cindy & Max hook-up for Christmas 2025