Council claims Home Office pressing ahead with works at airfield housing asylum seekers despite stop notice
The Home Office is continuing to carry out development work at RAF Scampton despite saying it had stopped all works on the site earmarked for asylum seeker accommodation, West Lindsey District Council has claimed.
The Lincolnshire council secured a stop notice and an enforcement notice for the disused airfield last month (22 September), restricting the Home Office from making a material change of use of the site to accommodation for asylum seekers without planning permission.
Under the notices, the Home Office is also forbidden from carrying operational development to facilitate the use of the site in connection with the unauthorised use of the site to accommodate asylum seekers.
The council said: "Enforcement Officers have continued to visit and observe from the perimeter of the site daily, and intelligence provided by the local community remains key to the council’s oversight of activity.
"Unfortunately, despite written assurances to the contrary, it is clear activity persists at pace on site."
The Home Office has not challenged the issue of the stop notice and enforcement notice in respect of the change of use of RAF Scampton and has not provided reasoning as to why works on site continue despite a stop notice being in place, the council claimed.
The council also noted that the Home Office also continues to refuse to allow the council access to the site to undertake routine enforcement monitoring.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Delivering accommodation on surplus military sites provides cheaper and more orderly, suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats whilst helping to reduce the use of hotels.
“We are confident our project, which will house asylum seekers in basic, safe and secure accommodation, meets the planning requirements.
“We are aware that West Lindsey District Council has issued a notice in relation to the works at Scampton. We are carefully considering the implications of this notice and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
Adam Carey
