Overview
- The Home Office published a £3.4 million contract this week that hired Kier to produce detailed designs for RAF Barnham, with work scheduled from October 19 to January 25.
- The deal covers design only and does not authorise building work, gives ministers the right to cancel at any time, and allows reuse of Kier’s plans on other projects.
- Housing Secretary Angela Rayner granted full planning permission on Thursday for the separate MOD Bicester site, triggering a six-week window for legal challenges.
- Local residents and councillors around Barnham and Piddington have staged regular protests and say they will pursue legal action and demand full cost transparency.
- The government says shifting asylum accommodation out of hotels into former military sites has saved over £1 billion since the election, but timing, planning and community objections leave implementation uncertain.