Former asylum hotel set to reopen to public

The Park Hotel was used to house asylum seeking families from 2023

The new owner of a hotel which was controversially used to house asylum seekers has said it will reopen next month.

Protests were staged at the Park Hotel in Diss in the summer after officials said they wanted to send single men to the premises, rather than families.

The Home Office later said it would stop sending migrants there and the hotel closed.

In a post on social media from the hotel's social media account, a spokesperson said it wanted to restore it for "the local community" and the refurbished building would be reopening on Saturday 8 November.

The building had been home to asylum-seeking families since 2023, but its then-owner said it had "no alternative but to close" if the Home Office proceeded with relocating single men rather than families.

The hotel decided not to renew its contract with the government for asylum seekers, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

Protests took place outside the hotel after the government said it planned to house single men there

A post on its Facebook page said it was "under new ownership" which was "opening a brand-new chapter, focused on restoring The Park Hotel for the local community".

The post also said a rumour that restoration of the hotel was taxpayer-funded was "completely false".

"We have not received any funding, grants, or financial support from the government, the council, or taxpayers," it said.

"Everything you see has been achieved entirely through our own time, effort, and private investment."

The post went on to say that the new owner was planning to create more jobs and attract more tourists to the area.

A later post – which confirmed a reopening date of 8 November – advertised a number of vacant jobs at the hotel.

The hotel has been contacted for further comment.