Up to 1,250 asylum seekers could be moved to the Ministry of Defence site, the meeting heard.
The government has pledged to stop placing asylum seekers in hotels – a costly form of accommodation that has become a focal point for anti-migrant protests.
John Bauer, chairman of Barnham Parish Council, told the meeting parents had said they were considering removing their children from Barnham School due to its proximity to the site, which could threaten the school’s long-term viability.
He also said the village, which has fewer than 600 people, had no shop, no pub and very limited access to services, including public transport.
“If this were a conventional housing development for 1,250 people, it would require extensive consultation, transport assessment, environmental review and infrastructure planning,” he added.
Green district councillor Dylan Roques agreed, telling the meeting: “There simply isn’t the infrastructure for it, for both asylum seekers and for residents.
“Asylum seekers deserve places where their needs and wants are recognised, and RAF Barnham simply isn’t that place – their dignity sadly will not be valued.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Jon London criticised the government’s planning process and said: “This is the most egregious example of overdevelopment I have ever seen, and one with the least level of democratic oversight.”
