Chichester Park Hotel closes, prompting fears it could house migrants

The Chichester Park Hotel changed hands on Tuesday

A hotel in West Sussex has closed its doors for the last time amid fears it could be used to house migrants.

The three-star Chichester Park Hotel announced its closure earlier this month leaving hundreds of people with weddings, wakes, birthdays and Christmas parties in the lurch.

Both Chichester and West Sussex councils say the Home Office is "considering" a hotel in the area.

The Home Office has refused to confirm or deny the reports.

In a statement, West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council said: "[We] have recently been advised by the Home Office that a hotel in the Chichester area is being considered for use as contingency accommodation for people seeking asylum.

"Decisions around use of hotels and placements for those seeking asylum are made by the Home Office. We are not involved in the decision making process."

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are 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."

'Apprehension' over closure

The Chahbourne family, who have owned the hotel since 2006, said it was changing hands on Tuesday and they had no say in its future use.

In a statement, they said: "We acknowledge the considerable apprehension about the potential loss of jobs and the impact on community services like the gym, swimming pool, and dining facilities.

"Our venue has long been a part of Chichester's local fabric, and we are aware of the gravity of the situation for everyone involved.

"As the former owner/operators, we have no control over the hotel's future use.

"We are not involved in the specific decision making process."

The hotel said it had been providing support to staff through the transition, and "doing our utmost to help with booking bedrooms at other hotels for future guests as well as functions".

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