Stradey hotel: Asylum seekers' Llanelli arrival not imminent

A move to house asylum at a village hotel is not imminent and won't happen until the site is "signed off as safe", officials have said.

Plans for up to 241 people to live at Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, have led to protests, damage and arrests, police have said.

About 300 people took part in an online meeting with Home Office officials and contractors Clearsprings on Tuesday.

Locals were told only families will be placed at the hotel.

Speaking on behalf of Clearsprings, Steve Lakey said the company recognised the challenges for the community and wanted to work "resolve those issues where possible".

"Our intention for this hotel is very much entirely for family use, so there won't be any singles accommodated there, and [there] will be up to 241 people but phased over a period of time," he said.

"Nobody will be accommodated on site until it has been signed off as safe by all those statutory partners and our own teams as well."

Tim Rymer, of the Home Office, added: "I recognise the use of this hotel, any hotel, is very far from ideal. But right now it remains an operational necessity.

"I can certainly say to you now that we're not about to start moving people in, we will do that further work first, and then work through any plans with partners before we actually bring people onto the site."

A previous legal bid by Carmarthenshire council to halt the plans failed, and the authority said it was "the saddest and most divisive and difficult case we have had to deal with".

Jake Morgan, the council's deputy chief executive, said that the council still believes the hotel is "the wrong site and wrong model of care" to house the asylum seekers and "we don't believe that Clearsprings' model works".

Mr Morgan added: "We regret the loss of an iconic hotel in the county and the 100 jobs that it supported in a community that, frankly, couldn't afford to bear such a loss."

Protestors have been camping outside the hotel, leading to the owners securing a temporary injunction to restrict their activities.

Some against the move have cited lack of community consultation and information as their reason for opposing the plans.

Canon Aled Edwards, who chaired the meeting on Tuesday, told BBC Radio Wales: "There were very legitimate questions. We received many questions and they were filtered through to the panel.

"What we have to remember here is that Wales does actually have a longstanding tradition of setting up such accommodation for those who are seeking asylum.

"I think we do have a good legacy in Wales in terms of being able to handle these situations relatively well, but they are always going to be challenging."

Appealing for calm at the site moving forward, Supt Ross Evans from Dyfed-Powys Police said the past few weeks had been "extremely challenging".

He also confirmed 17 people had been arrested at the site, most happening in the past seven days, and said more were likely to follow.

In an update on Wednesday, the force said an investigation was ongoing into disorderly behaviour last week which "resulted in extensive damage to the hotel".

Supt Evans added that it was the police's intention to "work with any protest groups in advance of any events so that we can facilitate peaceful demonstration".

All questions heard at Tuesday's meeting were submitted to panel members beforehand, with no opportunity for any additional comments or questions during the session.

Following the session, Rob Lloyd, spokesman for the Furnace Action Group of protestors, said he did not feel any of his concerns were alleviated and he did not feel that the community had any trust in the Home Office or Clearsprings.