RAF Scampton: Council loses legal bid to halt work on airfield asylum site

A council has lost its bid for an injunction against work to prepare RAF Scampton for asylum seekers.

The High Court refused the application by West Lindsey District Council at a hearing on Thursday afternoon.

The Home Office plans to convert the RAF site in Lincolnshire into a migrant camp for up to 2,000 asylum seekers.

West Lindsey District Council launched legal action last month, fearing the move would affect plans for a £300m regeneration project.

The local authority had asked a judge in London to impose an interim injunction that would prevent the Home Office moving "materials, equipment or people" on to the land at RAF Scampton.

Mr Justice Kerr dismissed the application after considering arguments from lawyers representing the council and Home Secretary Suella Braverman at a High Court hearing.

Roger Patterson, the Conservative councillor for the Scampton Ward, said the regeneration project would secure "growth and prosperity, and deliver a bright future for everybody".

However, he said he did not envisage anyone ever being housed on the site, as the government could only "override" local planning laws for up to one year, before formal planning applications needed to be submitted.

"I don't think they [the asylum seekers] will ever turn up, because I don't think the site is in a fit state to be ready within the timeframe," he added.

RAF Scampton was the former home of the Red Arrows and the World War Two Dambusters squadron.

The Home Office previously said: "We understand the concerns of local communities and will work closely with councils and key partners to manage the impact of using these sites, including liaising with local police to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place."

Last month, Braintree District Council failed to prevent similar plans from going ahead at a former military base in Wethersfield.

The local authority wanted the High Court judge to grant an injunction preventing 1,700 asylum seekers from being housed on the site, arguing proposals would breach planning control.

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