Planning Dispute in Forfar Sparks Racism and Misinformation Allegations
Councillors in Angus are set to decide on contentious plans to convert a former care home in Forfar into a 35-bedroom house of multiple occupancy (HMO).
Local residents have expressed concerns that the developers intend to use the property to accommodate migrants. Over 600 representations have been submitted to Angus Council regarding the proposal.
However, approximately 160 of these submissions have been redacted by the council on the grounds that they contained claims deemed "variously untrue, inaccurate, or likely to provoke unrest, hatred or harm."
Concurrently, The Homeland Party, a group advocating for the deportation of "illegal, unintegrated and unwelcome migrants," has promoted a social media and leafleting campaign opposing the plans.
The developers have denied intentions to house migrants at the site, suggesting instead that the property may be used to accommodate homeless individuals, veterans, or victims of domestic abuse.
An anti-racism campaigner from the local community stated that the dispute has fostered "division, discrimination and hate," warning that racism is increasing in the town.
Angus Council has cautioned against "inaccurate or malicious speculation that has no basis in truth and potential to harm our communities."
This controversy follows a series of anti-asylum seeker protests across the UK last year, including in Aberdeen and Falkirk.
Misinformation Claims and Campaign Origins
The planning application was submitted by Veriton Group to Angus Council on 13 October 2024 concerning Lochbank Manor, a former care home that ceased operations in 2024.
Shortly after, David Gardner, a local resident and former community councillor, established a Facebook group named Forfar Concerned Residents - Lochbank.
Gardner is also affiliated with The Homeland Party, which anti-fascist organisation Hope Not Hate has described as fascist. The party asserts that mass immigration has "imported cultures and criminal networks that prey on women and children."
Gardner has further promoted the campaign on TikTok, suggesting that an increase in immigrants in the area would lead to higher crime rates.
There is no publicly available data to substantiate or refute this claim.
In his initial Facebook post, Gardner wrote:
"We need to come together and stand firm to ensure that, if this is the thing we are all thinking it is, it doesn't come to our town."
"We have seen the problems faced by communities the length and breadth of the nation with these 'hotels', and we will not be just another unfortunate, quickly swept under the rug headline."
The Facebook group currently has approximately 1,800 members.
The Homeland Party told BBC Scotland News that the campaign is a "genuine grassroots campaign" and denied allegations that Gardner was disseminating misinformation.
Earlier in the year, the party shared the campaign on their website, stating that Gardner had "uncovered" the application and "raised the alarm locally" to prevent the property from "housing hundreds of migrants."
In December, Veriton Group issued a letter clarifying that their HMO application "does not relate to the housing of asylum seekers or immigrants at Lochbank Manor."
The letter stated that the company is collaborating with housing associations in England and Scotland to support veterans, survivors of domestic abuse, and people experiencing homelessness.
It added: "Nothing is finalised and no group has been selected or considered a front-runner at this early stage of the application process."
If the property is used to house homeless individuals, some may be migrants who have successfully claimed asylum.
However, research by BBC Verify indicates that the number of such individuals in the region is very low.
The latest Scottish government data shows that between April and September 2025, Angus Council received 320 homelessness applications.
Of these, no more than five were from individuals granted refugee status or leave to remain.
In the 12 months ending September 2025, there were 660 homelessness applications in Angus, with 10 from people granted refugee status or leave to remain, and none under the Homes for Ukraine visa scheme.
Prior to the council meeting to discuss the HMO application, an Angus Council spokesperson stated:
"Contrary to some speculation, there is no indication that it will be a home for people seeking asylum.
As a council, we will always respond to inaccurate or malicious speculation that has no basis in truth and where it has the potential to harm our communities, the people who live within them and those who come to live in Angus."
A local anti-racism group formed after demonstrations against asylum seeker hotels last year criticized the campaign for spreading fear and hatred in Forfar.
One member of Forfar Against Racism, who requested anonymity, said:
"Forfar has always been a vibrant and welcoming community until November last year.
Now we can see and hear the racism building in the town. It has become the norm and it is frightening.
The town fell under a dark cloud of division, discrimination and hate against asylum seekers and the LGBTQIA community.
It has created an atmosphere of fear and division within our community."
Responses from The Homeland Party and David Gardner
The Homeland Party expressed support for local residents' rights to campaign, object, and openly discuss the impact of immigration policy on their communities.
A party spokesperson said:
"This is a genuine grassroots local campaign against a major proposal in Forfar.
Dave is one man out of more than 650 people who have formally objected, with many more local residents sharing the same concerns.
To present this as though it were simply the conduct of one individual is misleading."
Gardner stated:
"People being aware of the risks, based on what has been happening in similar towns from Dumfries to Elgin, is not misinformation. It is common sense.
This is not racial profiling. It is pattern recognition based on repeated policy failure, repeated community concerns, and repeated consequences that ordinary people are then expected to live with."
"People are entitled to be angry that those who enter illegally can still be housed and supported at public expense, even where many claims do not succeed at the first decision.
That is not offensive language. It is a statement about a failed system and its cost to the public."
