Dozens of residents in a picturesque North Yorkshire village are threatening to 'sell up and move' over fears that more than 1,000 asylum seekers could soon be housed at a former RAF base on their doorstep.

Homeowners in Linton-on-Ouse say they face potentially huge losses on their properties if plans to accommodate up to 1,200 single male asylum seekers at the former military site go ahead.

Some residents have already put their homes on the market, despite accepting that they could lose as much as 20 per cent of their value.

Others say properties on newly built estates are standing empty as prospective tenants are deterred by the prospect of an asylum centre nearby.

The village, which is ten miles north-west of York and has a population of around 700, has no GP or police station and residents fear the proposed centre could leave them outnumbered by asylum seekers by almost two to one.

The Government is still assessing whether RAF Linton-on-Ouse, which closed in 2020, is suitable. Any decision to go ahead with the proposal would require the necessary planning permissions and approvals. 

But the uncertainty is already having an impact, according to villagers and campaigners.

Data gathered by the Linton-on-Ouse Action Group from 404 residents found that 60 per cent of renters surveyed said they were 'very likely' to leave if the plans were approved.

Around 35 newly renovated former MOD homes across two new-build estates are vacant, according to residents.

Two other estates owned by the property developer Annington have also been described by homeowners as a 'revolving door', with people moving in and out following the announcement.

Campaigners fear that if more residents leave, the once-populated RAF community could become a 'ghost town'.

The prospect has already prompted families to consider taking substantial financial hits to get out.

Alice Sizer, 44, moved into her three-bedroom home on Linton Meadows with her husband Ian, 44, and their five-year-old daughter in 2023.

She says she would leave if the plans go ahead and expects the move could cost her family £100,000.

Ms Sizer says she invested £50,000 in the property and believes she could receive only 75 per cent of its value if she is forced to sell through an auction.

She said: 'We have a strong connection to the area as my husband's dad was in the RAF and he was posted at the base for a short while.

'He really wanted to live here, so when houses came up and we had a look, it seemed perfect.

'Our daughter goes to the same school Ian went to and she loves it. But I don't want my family growing up in an unsafe environment, and I know I am not the only one.

'We are normal working families. This isn't about race or religion - just wanting to feel secure in our own homes.'

Just down the road, tradesman Luke Feather, 28, has already put his house on the market.

He had been considering moving into a larger property so he and his partner could start a family, but he says the asylum plans accelerated the decision.

He said: 'We moved in 2022 just after the original plans were dropped and we were under the impression it would never be brought up again.

'We had just got engaged and were looking for somewhere to settle down, and we couldn't argue with the prices.

'But when the migrant plans came up it was upsetting as we love the area, but it accelerated our plans to move out as it isn't somewhere I would want to raise a child.'

The proposed centre would house single men aged between 18 and 65, with the Home Office saying the site would be secure and operate for a minimum of three years if the scheme is approved.

The plan marks a revival of a controversial proposal first made in 2022, when plans to accommodate around 1,500 asylum seekers at the RAF base were abandoned following fierce local opposition.

It comes after residents in Piddington, Oxfordshire, voted overwhelmingly to declare independence from Britain in a symbolic referendum to protest against plans to house 1,200 asylum seekers at a former military base nearby. 

The impact of the latest proposal can be seen across Linton-on-Ouse's housing estates.

Opposite Linton Meadows is Linton Place, a cul-de-sac of 20 four-bedroom detached homes advertised at £1,650 a month.

But only four are being rented, according to information supplied by residents.

The properties are owned by Annington, which has been renovating former RAF homes in the village as part of its Linton Collection since 2022.

Listings show only a small number of properties available to rent, with some having remained on the market for weeks.

One elderly woman who lives at Linton Place with her husband said she moved into the area in July, around the time the proposal was announced.

She claims no one has moved into the surrounding empty properties since the plans became public and says she would leave if the centre goes ahead.

She said: 'All the houses are empty because of the migrant plans. Who would want to move in with this looming over your head? It won't be a safe place to live. I feel sorry for families with children.'

Yet some residents say they are not alarmed by the proposal.

Igor Jelisejevs, 39, moved into his Annington-owned £1,850-a-month three-bedroom home at The Paddocks in August.

His house is just yards from the boundary of the former RAF base.

He said: 'When I moved in I had two neighbours. Five weeks later, it is still the same. The plans don't really bother me. I will be able to look after myself. But it is a shame really that people are being put off by the plans.'

Nearby, around ten large manor-style homes on The Green remain in a poor state and have yet to be renovated, according to Annington.

Residents fear the empty properties could become magnets for antisocial behaviour if they remain unoccupied.

On White Rose Close, a 50-year-old resident who did not want to be named said the rural location was fundamentally unsuitable for the proposal.

He said: 'You don't take over 1,000 men and put them in the middle of nowhere.

'You know what you are like on a two-week all-inclusive holiday, you get bored after a while, and you want to explore outside. Linton has nothing really in it, so what are these men going to do?'

He said the estate felt 'unsettled', claiming that between 30 and 50 per cent of residents had come and gone during the three months he had lived there.

Elderly resident Michael Thompson, 84, lives on the same street with his daughter and her partner.

A sign outside his home reads: 'Asylum Centre: Still the Wrong Place, Wrong Plan'.

He said: 'My daughter initially spoke about moving out, but instead we agreed on getting CCTV cameras put up.

'It surprises me that houses are empty and that people are moving out, as if the plans weren't proposed, I can't see them being empty.

'It has left people in limbo.'

For one mother-of-four, the controversy has revived memories of violence in her native South Africa.

The 50-year-old, who did not want to be named, moved to Britain five years ago seeking safety for her family.

She said: 'I've been hijacked, had a gun held to my head, we came to the UK to escape fear and somewhere our children will be safe. But these plans have ruined it for us if they go ahead.'

But across the road on Maple Grove, new father Ayoub Sabir, 33, says he is not concerned provided there are adequate controls.

He said: 'I believe in the security system, and I think we will be safe.'

The conflicting views underline the uncertainty gripping the village as residents wait to learn whether the former RAF site will become one of the Government's large asylum accommodation centres.

North Yorkshire Police has warned that imposing the plans could require significant resources to deal with protests around the site, potentially placing additional pressure on policing elsewhere in the county.

The combined authority has said the scale of the proposal, together with the site's rural location and limited infrastructure, raises concerns about policing, emergency services and community safety. 

Martin Sanderson, a prominent member of the Linton-on-Ouse Action Group, said the Home Office was making the village 'inaccessible and unsafe' to people and families.

Six of the seven MPs representing North Yorkshire constituencies, together with North Yorkshire Council leader Cllr Carl Les OBE, have said they 'do not believe that the former RAF Linton-on-Ouse site is an appropriate location for a large-scale asylum accommodation centre'.

North Yorkshire Council said: 'There is concern that the proposed facility could damage confidence, hinder future regeneration and conflict with wider ambitions for housing, employment and economic growth.'

The council has unanimously opposed the proposal, while the York and North Yorkshire Mayor has argued that the former RAF site should instead be used for housing, jobs and investment.

The Home Office says the site would have permanent security and that the accommodation would be designed to minimise its impact on the surrounding community. It stresses that the proposal remains subject to detailed feasibility work, planning and other approvals.

Annington declined to comment.

The Home Office was approached for comment.

Lettice.bromovsky@dailymail.co.uk