The government will face a legal challenge over plans to convert a former military site near Piddington into accommodation for more than 1,200 detained asylum seekers, the parish council chairman has said.
Planning permission for the development at the MoD Bicester site in Oxfordshire was approved by the Housing Secretary Angela Rayner after the Home Office used a fast-track route for projects deemed to be urgently needed and of national importance.
Opponents have six weeks to challenge the decision. Parish council chairman Tim McNally said ministers should "absolutely" be ready for a legal challenge.
Defence minister Luke Pollard said the government would continue to engage with the community.
McNally told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the village could also apply the new Hillsborough Law.
Once passed, the law would create a legally enforceable duty of candour which compels public officials and authorities to act transparently when investigations and inquiries take place.
McNally told the programme: "Last night, [Prime Minister] Andy Burnham was on a podium talking about the violence, sexual violence towards women, and bringing it upon the media industry as their responsibility to manage.
"But the reality is, is that this is exactly what the government is doing to us here."
Asked how the village would respond, he said: "There's going to be many actions, you will see. We will disclose that as we move forward.
"Today is a day of reflection, and we'll work out where we plan to go from this point. But I will say, the Hillsborough Law is there for a reason, and we're going to apply it."
Asked if ministers should be braced for a legal challenge, he said: "Absolutely, absolutely."
Piddington symbolically voted to leave the UK in September over the planned use for the site, and last month the group Wrong Plan Wrong Site appealed for a judicial review into the proposals.
Defence minister Luke Pollard told LBC: "It's pretty obvious that there's a strong sense of feeling from the community around Bicester, especially in Piddington.
"The Home Office continues to engage with those.
"There's still a few more stages to go here, so it's not yet fully locked in and delivered, so that we can understand where the concerns are, so they can be mitigated.
"I recognise that any change for the people around MoD Bicester will be a concern, and that's why it's so important that the Home Office engages with the community."
A Home Office spokesperson said on Thursday: "Planning permission allows us to continue to progress the use of MoD Bicester. However, a final decision to proceed is yet to be taken.
"The Government is working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country, with over £1bn saved in costs since the election.
"This includes closing all asylum hotels and moving to alternative accommodation, including former military sites.
"These are designed to be self-contained, with 24/7 security and CCTV, to minimise the impact on the local community."
Additional reporting by Press Association.
Refugees and asylum seekers
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