A new centre housing hundreds of asylum seekers will be built near Bicester, the Government said today.

Home Secretary David Blunkett was due to make the announcement this afternoon.

The move comes despite massive local opposition led by Tory MP Tony Baldry.

Mr Blunkett has decided to choose three sites from a short list of eight announced earlier this year, including Ministry of Defence land on the Bicester-Thame road, opposite Bullingdon Prison.

The other centres will be built at RAF Newton near Westbridgeford in Nottinghamshire and Throckmorton Airfield, Worcestershire. The centres, due to open next year, are each expected to hold about 750 asylum seekers with health and education facilities on site. The refugees will be allowed to come and go freely.

The aim is to speed up a decision on whether they can stay in the UK.

A new petition, containing up to 10,000 signatures, was due to be handed into the House of Commons next week opposing plans for the Bicester centre.

Mr Baldry said the petition criticised the location of the centre and called for a public inquiry.

He added: "The concept of centres for 750 asylum-seekers has been criticised by the Refugee Council, Oxfam and the British Medical Council as being untenable and unsustainable."