Rumours of Llandudno Junction manor house being used to house asylum seekers ‘not confirmed’, says local MP

Claims that a manor house near Llandudno Junction is being used to house asylum seekers have not been confirmed, a local MP has said.

Unverified reports emerged overnight that asylum seekers had begun arriving at the Grade II-listed Georgian building.

Aberconwy MP Robin Millar has now addressed the rumours, revealing that he has been in touch with UK Minister of State for Immigration Robert Jenrick to seek clarity.

The 15-bed property was previously used as an outdoor education centre for schoolchildren from Warwickshire after being owned by Warwickshire County Council. However, it was closed in October 2021 and later put up for auction.

Conservative MP Mr Millar has raised questions about the suitability of the site if it were to be used to house asylum seekers.

It follows similar concerns when the Hilton Garden Inn in Snowdonia was used between November last year and January this year for the same purpose.

In a post on Facebook, Mr Millar said: “There were rumours circulating last night (Thursday 23rd) that asylum seekers were arriving in Marle Hall, Llandudno Junction. This has NOT been confirmed as of this morning (Friday 24th March).

“I contacted the Immigration Minister immediately last night to seek urgent clarification on what is happening. I expressed my strong concerns about the suitability of the site and their selection process.

“I have spoken with public service leaders and we are clear from the lessons learned in Dolgarrog that we again have real concerns that this is the wrong kind of facility, in the wrong place and will bring a huge burden on our local public services.

“This is not good for the community or the wellbeing of residents of the facility. There is supposed to be a proper process to follow before any new facility is opened.

“Myself as MP, the council, other public services, the police and the health board should all be consulted formally before the facility is opened.

“No-one should be placed in the facility until its suitability had been agreed. And no decision is made until the proper consultation is completed.

“When the hotel in Dolgarrog was used as temporary overflow accommodation for asylum seekers, our public services worked very well together in coordinating their responses to care for those there. That is the right thing to do. Local residents were also generous with support for those who stayed.

“However, the Home Office agreed that the facility was inappropriate. It was closed after three months and the site was returned to its use as a hotel.

“This time we did receive a notification from the Home Office (Wednesday) and I notified the police and council to make sure they were aware of the proposal.

“I had a meeting with the chief executive of the council yesterday (Thursday) and he confirmed his officers were ready to meet with Home Office officials to set out our concerns about the suitability of the site and capacity of public services. We agreed to notify local councillors at that time also.

“I will continue to press for clarity on what is being proposed and when. I have demanded that the proper consultation process is used for Marle Hall. I will keep you updated on here.

“If any residents have concerns or questions please feel free to contact me and I will keep you up to date with information and details.”