Stradey Park Hotel looks set to re-open and re-hire former staff members after highly-controversial plans to accommodate asylum seekers there were scrapped. Protestors were celebrating victory this morning as Carmarthenshire Council confirmed the Home Office had withdrawn its plans.
The proposals for the Welsh four-star spa hotel, based in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, sparked major and long-running anger including protests, counter-protests, and huge police operations with around 100 staff losing their jobs. People who live nearby said they were concerned about the building's suitability for such a facility and last week the local fire service served a prohibition order on the building deeming it unsuitable as accommodation in its current form.
A statement released by Stradey Park Hotel this evening reads: "As reported this morning, we would like to let you know that the hotel will no longer be prepared to provide accommodation to asylum seekers. We are in the process of rehiring hotel staff members and plan to resume serving as a hotel to the community as soon as possible. We kindly request you remove any obstacles from the entrance as soon as possible to allow access for our employees, who will be working hard to restore the business. Thank you for your co-operation." You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
READ MORE: Home Office withdraws plans to use Stradey Park hotel in Llanelli to house asylum seekers
READ MORE: Residents launch plan to 'buy back' hotel earmarked for hundreds of asylum seekers
In a statement, Carmarthenshire Council leader Darren Price and chief executive Wendy Walters said they had both written to Home Office ministers and senior civil servants last week "outlining their concerns with regards to escalating community tensions and urging the UK Government to withdraw from the site". The council said it would continue to work with Dyfed-Powys Police and the hotel owners to ensure that the site was managed appropriately "for the good of the community of Furnace and Llanelli".
Councillor Price said: “I very much welcome the decision of the Home Office to withdraw its plans for the Stradey Park Hotel – it’s the right decision for the hotel and, more importantly, it’s the right decision for the people of Furnace. Now is the time for the community of Llanelli to come together to heal from the experience of the past few months.
"On the issue of providing sanctuary to people in desperate need, 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."
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