Residents in a peaceful cul-de-sac in Walderslade, a suburb of Chatham in Kent, express deep concerns about safety after learning of plans to house asylum seekers in a nearby bungalow. Families worry that the arrival of six adult males will make the street unsafe for children and vulnerable neighbors.
Details of the Dispersal Scheme
The government’s initiative to shut down all 200 migrant hotels by 2029 requires relocating asylum seekers to homes across the UK. Documents indicate that around 37 properties in the Tonbridge and Malling borough, including two houses in Walderslade village, will house arrivals in the coming months.
Investigations show that two north London businessmen bought properties in Walderslade late last year and leased them long-term to Clearsprings, a Home Office contractor managing migrant accommodations.
Local Families Voice Anxieties
Jan Howard, a 74-year-old disabled widow and grandmother living a minute’s walk from the bungalow, stated: “I’ve got two teenage granddaughters that come round here at various times of the day and evening to visit me by themselves – and I know what some people have done. I won’t feel safe them coming round any more.”
She added that the close-knit community, where residents look out for each other, faces disruption from rotating groups of six asylum seekers. Howard expressed particular worry for elderly neighbor Ernie, recently widowed and vulnerable, living next door.
Sara Ryder, 59, a carer with three grandchildren living nearby, said: “We’re just so upset because we have grandchildren, and don’t know who’s going to turn up. The grandchildren have played in the street, but that’s not going to happen any more.” She suspects arrivals may occur at night.
Her friend Sue Birch, a carer with five grandchildren who has lived on the street for 22 years, noted: “It’s generally only been owner-occupiers here, we’ve never had anything like this. What are they going to do here? They’re men, and I’m worried they’re going to hang around, check us out and make us feel uncomfortable.” Birch suggested more suitable urban options exist in central Chatham.
Glynis Coughlan, 68, who cares full-time for her 36-year-old disabled son Benjamin Fuller, lives a few doors away. She said: “When we moved in it was specifically because we felt the whole close was a safe environment. We’re worried about migrants arriving because we don’t know what type of person they are, and how they’re going to react to us. And because we’re expecting it to be all men, we feel really uncomfortable.” Coughlan proposed alternatives like the closed Pontins site at Camber Sands.
Benjamin Fuller, using a mobility scooter, added: “It’s scary. I feel vulnerable. I get upset pretty easy, and depressed and anxious. And it’s very underhand the way this has been done, without consultation of the people it’s going to affect.”
Related Incident and Contractor Background
A similar setup in Laleham, Surrey, led to the arrest of an Afghan asylum seeker loitering outside a primary school. The property was a House in Multiple Occupation purchased by a London businessman the previous year.
Clearsprings, responsible for migrant housing in southern England and Wales under a Home Office contract, directs nearly all its substantial profits to Graham King, a former teen-disco and caravan park entrepreneur. These earnings total nearly £100 million yearly, potentially making King the sector’s first billionaire. Clearsprings did not respond to requests for comment.
Government Position
The Home Office defends its hotel closure policy, prompted by local protests, and prioritizes sites like former barracks. A spokesman declined to disclose what portion of hotel residents would relocate to residential properties similar to those in Tonbridge and Malling.
