Scrapped asylum seeker venue in Wales reopens as hotel following protests
A Carmarthenshire hotel was due to open its doors to asylum seekers before a Home Office u-turn.
A scrapped asylum seeker venue in Wales has reopened as a hotel following protests.
Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, was due to open its doors to asylum seekers before a U-turn from the Home Office.
The venue was set to house 207 people but plans faced opposition from the local council due to concerns of rising community tensions.
The leader of Carmarthenshire County Council said he was "outraged" by the proposals and several people were arrested in connection with disorder at the site.
The Home Office pulled out of plans and Mid and West Wales Fire Service has issued a prohibition notice, preventing the premises from being used for accommodation.
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Carmarthenshire County Council leader Darren Price said it was "the right decision" for the hotel and the people of Furnace, Llanelli.
"Now is the time for the community of Llanelli to come together, to heal from the experience of the past few months," he said.
"I will reiterate Carmarthenshire County Council's desire to continue to welcome our share of asylum seekers from countries such as Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria to our county via the dispersal model which has worked successfully in Carmarthenshire for many years."
In a social media post, a spokesperson for the Stradey Park Hotel said they were "delighted" to announce the venue would be reopening today.
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Providing hotel accommodation is one method the UK government has used to house asylum seekers as the number of small boat crossings reaches record levels.
Ahead of the General Election on July 4, the political parties have differing plans to tackle illegal crossings.
The Conservatives say their Rwanda plan would act as a deterrent to asylum seekers attempting to cross the Channel to come to the UK.
Labour says they would establish a new Border Security Command to prosecute gangs operating small boat crossings.
