Plans to house asylum seekers in Essex flats withdrawn
The Home Office has reversed its proposal after local objections
The Home Office has withdrawn plans to buy flats to house asylum seekers in Essex, the local council has said.
Epping Forest District Council leader Chris Whitbread said residents could "breathe a sigh of relief" after plans for migrant accommodation in Buckhurst Hill were withdrawn.
The authority said the Government and its contractor, Clearsprings, no longer intended to buy eight flats in the area.
The plan had faced strong objections from the local community, with the Conservative council leader having previously written to the Prime Minister, accusing him of being "tone deaf" to residents' concerns.
Following the decision to withdraw the plans, Mr Whitbread said: "I wrote with a sense of disbelief when Clearsprings notified us of their intention to procure eight flats in Buckhurst Hill to accommodate asylum seekers.
"We're already hosting two Home Office asylum-seeker hotels in the district.
"The impact of events over the last six months has been deeply felt across our district and has created significant challenges for community cohesion and public safety.
"Residents have experienced fear and uncertainty, and the strain on local resources has been considerable.
"This withdrawal shows that Clearsprings and the Home Office have listened to us, seen sense, and taken the right decision.
"We hope they show similar good sense with regards to the Bell Hotel and move to an early closure."
In the summer, thousands of people protested in Epping after Hadush Kebatu, a migrant living at the hotel, was charged with - and later found guilty of - sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman.