Wigan community group continues fight against use of hotel as accommodation for asylum seekers

Standish Voice has been holding meetings with Wigan Council to look at ways of overturning the new use of Kilhey Court Hotel in Standish.

It has also engaged a planning consultancy to study all the planning applications given permission at the venue since it was converted from a private home to a hotel in 1983.

There are 16 planning applications, all with conditions, and Standish Voice hopes an independent expert will study them to ensure the hotel is complying with the regulations.

The community group has paid for this work from its own resources, courtesy of fund-raisers, after recognising the importance of the issue to Standish residents.

It will share the final report from the consultancy with the council and explore any possible avenues against use of the hotel to house asylum seekers

Also, a Freedom of Information request has been submitted to the Home Office asking for the updated criteria provided to Serco, which is now operating the hotel, in terms of requirements of properties used for this purpose. This response has also been passed to the council.

Standish Voice and Standish councillors are encouraging members the public to continue raising their concerns about the use of Kilhey Court to accommodate asylum seekers.

Emails can be sent to the Home Office and Macdonald Hotels, which owns Kilhey Court, at [email protected] and [email protected].

Standish Voice’s next meeting will be held at Albert’s on Tuesday, November 21 at 7.45pm and everyone who lives or works in Standish is welcome to attend.