Plan could see asylum seekers use student flats

Mary Morris House in Headingley is currently used as student accommodation

A building in Leeds currently used as student accommodation could in future be used to house asylum seekers under proposals by the Home Office.

Leeds City Council confirmed it had received a "planning submission" from the Home Office over using Mary Morris House in Headingley as "accommodation for non-students", adding that the department said it was part of wider efforts to cut the reliance on using hotels for asylum seekers.

A council spokesperson said the authority did not own the building, and any move towards an eventual change in occupancy would be "Home Office-led".

In a statement, the Home Office said it was working to "end the use of asylum hotels by the end of this parliament".

According to Leeds City Council, the Home Office was seeking a Certificate of Proposed Lawful Development - a legal document confirming the proposed use did not require planning permission.

The decision whether to award the certificate, which was expected to be made next month, would be "based solely on factual evidence and planning law, not the planning merits of the proposed use", the spokesperson for the authority said.

The council spokesperson said residents' groups had been informed of the potential change, adding that it was "committed to further engagement with the community".

'Deliver commitments'

The spokesperson said: "Leeds is a welcoming city which has been built on the values of tolerance, unity and respect for one another, and we remain committed to upholding those values.

"We hope the announcement of these details will reassure local residents that we will be engaging fully with them with regard to the Home Office's proposals for Mary Morris House."

The council, which said that a decision was still being considered by its officers, emphasised that Mary Morris House was currently occupied by fee-paying students.

According to Essential Student Living, which manages the building, the accommodation currently has 247 bedrooms.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said the department was "continuing to work closely with stakeholders across the country, including other government departments and local authorities, to fulfil our statutory obligations and deliver our commitments to reduce the cost of asylum accommodation, and end the use of asylum hotels by the end of this parliament".

"We will continue to work with partners across all regions and nations of the UK to manage the use of asylum accommodation responsibly," they added.

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