World Immigration News

Investigation begins into hotel being used for asylum seekers

Release Date: 2025-08-21
Media: BBC
Summary: The Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has launched an enforcement investigation into whether the Chimney Corner Hotel in County Antrim is being used to house asylum seekers without proper planning approval. The move follows a recent English High Court ruling that such use requires a formal "change of use" application.

Unionist politicians argue that multiple hotels in Northern Ireland are housing asylum seekers without proper approval, calling it both a legal and systemic failure in the UK’s immigration system. Some suggest disused army barracks as alternatives, while others stress no government department is above planning law.

The UK government says it inherited a broken asylum system and is working to close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament.

Amnesty International, while agreeing hotels are unsuitable for long-term housing, warns that evicting asylum seekers without safe, sustainable alternatives risks worsening their vulnerability.
Tags: United Kingdom

Released on

Article Title