Home Office informed to cease work at former RAF base set to deal with asylum seekers

The Home Office has been ordered to cease work changing a former navy base into an lodging web site for asylum seekers, over issues planning circumstances have been breached.

West Lindsey District Council has issued the federal government with an enforcement discover and cease discover with regard to RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

It means work should stop on the former airbase, which was set for use to deal with 2,000 asylum seekers.

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Sally Grindrod-Smith, director of planning regeneration, stated at a web site go to final week, officers noticed a variety of points thought-about to be planning breaches.

She stated “significant works” had been being achieved on web site “that were not considered as part of the Home Office’s environmental impact assessment screening request”.

“This means that the impact of the development has not been properly assessed,” she stated.

She added: “Additionally, it is clear from the scale of works on site that this development is not limited to a temporary period of 12 months.”

The transfer follows a brief cease discover being issued to the Home Office on 8 September, which associated to listed buildings and archaeology on the location.

The council deemed there had been a breach of planning controls with sure works having the potential to trigger irreversible injury to essential heritage property.

The new notices had been issued after an extra web site go to on 14 September, which uncovered what the council deemed to be additional breaches.

It is an offence to fail to stick to a cease discover, which together with the enforcement discover has been issued pursuant to sections 172 and 183 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

RAF Scampton is the previous house of The Red Arrows aerobatics show workforce and the Dambusters – the squadron that carried out one of many Second World War’s most well-known air raids.

There has been resistance to the transfer to transform it into asylum lodging from the outset, with native leaders fearful it should see the scrapping of a £300m deal to show the bottom right into a heritage web site.

Over the summer time, the council was given permission to deliver a High Court problem towards the Home Office, with a judicial evaluate set for 31 October and 1 November.

Councillor Trevor Young, chief of the native authority, stated: “From the moment the decision to use RAF Scampton as an asylum accommodation centre was made, the council have been clear that this is not an appropriate site for this purpose.

“Use of the location for asylum lodging places in danger the £300m funding proposal.

“It is incredibly disappointing that despite repeated assurances that the site would be safe, legal and compliant, the Home Office has failed to secure appropriate planning permission or to adequately assess the impact of their proposals.

“It is an offence to contravene the cease discover and I urge the Home Office to stop all works according to this authorized motion.”

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The notices threaten to be the most recent setback in plans to search out cheaper lodging to deal with asylum seekers away from lodges, which ministers say is costing the tax payer £6m a day.

As nicely as navy bases, the federal government additionally desires to make use of barges and finally hopes to deport individuals to Rwanda, however the schemes have been mired in problem and delay.

A Home Office spokesperson stated: “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 assured our challenge, which is able to home asylum seekers in fundamental, protected and safe lodging, meets the planning necessities.”