Community group planning to move following asylum seeker accommodation decision
A Stafford community group that supports residents facing financial hardship is seeking a new venue after plans to house asylum seekers in former university accommodation were approved.
A planning inspector has overruled Stafford Borough Council’s refusal to grant permission to Serco for the change of use of Stafford Court to accommodate up to 481 people while they wait for their asylum claims to be processed.
And now Hearts and Hands, which operates from a nearby unit at New Beacon Group Business Park in Weston Road, plans to move out because of safety concerns for volunteers. The group was set up in October 2020 and provides weekly food parcels for families struggling with the cost of living.
Community Project Manager Lorraine Conkey said: “At Hearts and Hands we have decided to find alternative premises to work from due to the approval of the planning application for Stafford Court. We feel that the safety and wellbeing of our volunteers is paramount as they are often on the premises late night and at weekends when the supermarkets release their surplus food.
“We are not in the main building, we are in a standalone unit and as a voluntary community group set up to help working people in financial crisis. We do not wish to put our volunteers in a position of vulnerability or where they would feel unsafe.
