Flintshire: Northop Hall hotel asylum seeker plans submitted

Northop Hall Country House Hotel closed during the first Covid lockdown of 2020

A planning application to house 400 asylum seekers in a former hotel has been submitted.

Plans to house 250 men in the former Northop Hall Country House Hotel were submitted to Flintshire County Council.

The men would be housed in the temporary units in the hotel cark park, with another 150 housed in the 37-bedroom building, for up to 7 years.

Northop Hall Village Action, formed to oppose the plans, said it was the "wrong plan" in the "wrong place".

The group also cited concerns including a lack of amenities, and the potential 25% increase in the village's population.

The hotel closed its doors during the first Covid lockdown and was sold last year to Paymán Holdings 3 Ltd company director Na'ím Anís Paymán.

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It was initially thought he would continue to operate it as a hotel, but it has not re-opened and Mr Paymán did not want to make any comment on the proposal.

But the planning, design and access statement, which forms part of the consultation, said ratios of staff and levels of safeguarding and security would be high, and the proposal "strongly aligns with national and local objectives".

The plan follows a pre-application consultation, during which residents of Northop Hall were invited to share their views on the proposal.

A date for the start of the local authority's consultation on the plans is yet to be set.

The Home Office previously said it would "work closely with councils and key partners to manage the impact".

"These accommodation sites will house asylum seekers in basic, safe and secure accommodation as they await a decision on their claim," it said.