PLANS to launch a refuge for failed asylum seekers in a semi-rural Huddersfield village have caused controversy.

A joint project between asylum charity Assure (Asylum Seekers’ Support and Response) and Kirkheaton Parish Church could see one of the church’s abandoned buildings used as a night centre.

The two groups hope to house between two and 10 homeless refugees between 8pm and 8am over five nights a week in the church’s old school building.

But the proposal has led to some residents vowing to protest against the plans.

Kirkheaton Parish Church Vicar, the Rev Richard Steel, said the Church Lane premises were needed to prevent people sleeping rough.

He said: “These people have no benefits and no shelter, so unless they’ve got some contacts in the community they’re completely destitute.

“Assure came to us to ask if we could help out as we’ve moved all the groups out of that building.

“We’re expecting just a couple to start with as the building isn’t suitable for a huge amount of use.

“We have already gauged initial response to the idea with representatives of the community and local councillors, taken the advice of the police and are in the process of consulting with others.”

Mr Steel said any residents would be picked up from Huddersfield and then taken back in the morning and would spend their days working with various churches.

Tony Bowers, secretary of Assure, said: “Assure is following in the footsteps of organisations in other major urban areas in joining with local churches.

“Although our service will be very limited we intend to do all we can to ensure that destitute asylum seekers do not have to sleep rough.”

Failed asylum seekers are often left to fend for themselves without state support as they will not be deported if it is deemed unsafe for them to go home.

But Charles Wilkinson, who lives near the centre, said he thought the plan was unsuitable for the area.

He said: “The vicar tells me there are quite a few people for it but I would suggest there’s a lot more against it.

“I’d be interested to see the reaction, I’d be fairly sure it would be negative.

“There’s a letter circulating to residents within one or two hundred yards but I live about 300 yards away and I didn’t get one.

“I think the whole village should be consulted. If I hadn’t seen this letter I would never have known about it until it was a sealed deal.”

He added: “Does ten become 20 and 20 become 30?

“The building is big enough to house a lot of people. I’m not saying every asylum seeker isn’t genuine and hasn’t been persecuted in their country but I doubt 100% of them are.

“As far as I’m concerned this is a rural village and I do think it should be in another area.”

The long-term plan is for housing on the site. Mr Steel said they still intended to do it and said the night centre plan was “very temporary”.

He added: “Planning permission has been granted to develop housing which we need.

“The last thing we want to do is upset anybody locally, but a similar scheme has run in Sheffield for seven years with no problems at all.

“My hope is we can work with people to assure them that there’s no kind of risks – they’re just people who are in desperate need and we want to help them if we can.”

A public meeting about the proposal will be held at 7pm on May 24 at the Old School on Church Lane, Kirkheaton.