Home Office 'halts plans to move more asylum seekers to newbuild development in Shropshire hamlet'

By ANDY DOLAN, GENERAL REPORTER Published: 12:09, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 12:13, 3 July 2026 Plans to move up to 83 asylum seekers into newbuild homes in a rural development dubbed 'Migrant Street' have been put on hold, the local MP said. More than 100 residents from the area around Stoke Heath in Shropshire met at a nearby parish hall on Thursday night for a meeting with Mark Pritchard. The MP for The Wrekin said the government scheme had now been put on hold while the suitability of the location – where there are no nearby amenities and the nearest bus stop is a 30 minute walk away - was reviewed. One family that had moved into a new-build property has since been relocated from the small community near Market Drayton. Residents argued the village was too cut off for asylum seekers – with the closest supermarket being more than a five mile drive away. Many thought the houses should become affordable homes instead of housing migrants. Earlier in the week, Serco, which is contracted by the government to house asylum seekers, said it had acquired the homes in Dutton Close while working under the direction of the Home Office. But Mr Pritchard said it was 'disappointing' that neither the contractor or the Home Office took up invitations to attend the meeting. He told the Shropshire Star after the meeting: 'On the way to the meeting this evening I received a call from a very senior Home Office official that said they are putting a halt, which is what I was calling for, on any further asylum seekers going into Dutton Close. The houses were built at the end of a road of existing 1960s properties in rural Stoke Heath, Shropshire Local Mark Pritchard MP raised the situation in parliament earlier this month.  He said the plans to house asylum seekers in Stoke Heath were 'ill-conceived'  'The ones already there have been relocated to another location. 'The big story is that there is now going to be a review of the whole scheme. 'How long will the review take? I don't know. Who will be the final decision maker? I suspect it will be the Home Secretary, who in the last few hours as you all know has said that asylum seekers should not be in new build accommodation such as we have in Stoke Heath. 'If that is the government's policy, then they should announce very quickly, to end the uncertainty and fear in the community.' 21 of the 25 new houses, which were built a year ago, had been earmarked for up to 83 asylum seekers. The development was built on a field at the end of an existing street of 1960s homes called Dutton Close, which makes up the community of Stoke Heath.  Those existing properties were originally built for staff at the nearby Stoke Heath prison, a Category C male prison. The newbuilds stood empty until the first asylum seekers were moved in a fortnight ago. Muhammad Nadeem and his wife Shamaila said they were moved to the site from Stockport, 60 miles away, with their four children, having fled their native Pakistan two years ago after receiving threats. Mr Nadeem told reporters earlier this week that they were desperate to leave the isolated location after being targeted by thugs. Muhammad Nadeem and his wife Shamaila and their children, pictured from behind because they were too frightened to be identified, were the first asylum seekers moved to the newbuilds  A view of the original houses along Dutton Close in Stoke Heath, Shropshire The 40-year-old said: 'The trouble started the day after we moved in. 'My wife and our kids were outside the house when three people came towards us. We quickly went inside and I locked the door. 'Hours later two people came to the house. One was wearing a mask and they knocked on my door. 'I answered it and they were filming me on a phone. I told them to go away. 'They walked away and they started shouting what sounded like abuse.' He added: 'This is no good for us, this place. It's too rural.'  The Government has vowed to phase out migrant hotels by 2029 and relocate people into 'properties and ex-military sites'. It is using Serco to source small properties, such as houses and flats, to be used as alternative accommodation. But the Stoke Heath development predates a new Home Office policy advising against housing asylum seekers in newbuilds to avoid social tensions. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has instructed contractors, such as Serco, to not source housing that might be perceived as 'luxurious' or is near schools or nurseries. Immediately after Thursday night's meeting at Stoke-on-Tern Parish Hall, resident Tonia Roberts said: 'We're just hoping we'll get a good result. It's given us some hope I think, whereas before we didn't have hope. 'It's been an excellent meeting. Fantastic questions. 'It's not an appropriate place to have these asylum seekers. There's nothing there. We just cannot facilitate them, quite frankly.' Neighbour John Getty was less optimistic about what he heard. 'No corks are popping yet,' he said. 'I think it's still going to happen. The government lie every day. We've just got to keep fighting it. It's all we can do.' A Home Office spokesman said: ‘New homes should never house asylum seekers. ‘Earlier this year, the Home Secretary introduced robust processes to ensure new-build sites like Stoke Heath can never be considered again.’ Serco said it works under the Home Office, which decides where people are placed and 'determines how many people are to be accommodated in each local authority area'. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. 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