Plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Scampton axed

Plans were in place to house asylum seekers at the former RAF site that was once home to the Dambusters and Red Arrows

Plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire have been scrapped because they do not represent value for money, the Home Office has said.

Opening the site from the autumn as planned would have cost a total of £122m by the end of its use in 2027, it added.

The site, which was home to the Dambusters and Red Arrows, had been earmarked by the previous government to accommodate migrants.

Sarah Carter, of the Save Our Scampton campaign group, told the BBC it was “amazing news” and that she wanted "everyone to feel how I feel right now”.

Sir Edward Leigh, Conservative MP for Gainsborough, said he was "absolutely delighted", adding it was the end of a "two-year battle".

He said: "I view this as a vindication and now we must move on."

Sir Edward added Scampton was "absolutely unique" and renewed his backing for regeneration of the historic site.

'Disastrous scheme'

A total of £60m had already been spent on the site due to commitments from the previous government and work to close it "will begin immediately", according to a written Commons statement by Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle.

Dame Angela said the cost of the scheme "clearly fails to deliver value for money for the taxpayer".

"She said: Faster asylum processing, increased returns and tighter enforcement of immigration rules will reduce demand for accommodation like Scampton and save millions for the taxpayer as we drive forward work to clear the asylum backlog and strengthen our border security."

Labour MP for Lincoln Hamish Falconer added: "I've done as I promised.

"From the day the Conservative government announced their intention for Scampton, I've fought this disastrous scheme.

"The costs revealed today are disgraceful. The news delivered is excellent news for Lincoln and Lincolnshire."

The Dambusters is the most famous wartime RAF squadron following its Operation Chastise mission in World War Two to destroy German dams using the bouncing bomb.

Historian James Holland said the migrant housing plan "should never have happened in the first place".

"There's an amazing private investment plan to create jobs and business appropriate to that site that would give Scampton lasting meaning and continue its story as an amazing centre of aviation well into the future," he added.

Paul and Sarah Carter, from Save Our Scampton campaign group, outside the former RAF site

In 2022, the Red Arrows moved to RAF Waddington, ending an association with the site that had spanned more than 20 years.

The Ministry of Defence announced it would close the site to save money, but in March 2023 West Lindsey District Council had agreed a £300m plan to revive it and turn it into a business, aerospace and heritage centre.

However, weeks later the Home Office announced the intention to use the site as an asylum centre.

Residents have been campaigning for 18 months to have the plans scrapped.

Addressing those who supported the campaign, Ms Carter added: “Thank you for all the hard work you have put in, the people that were manning the gate, manning the [protest] camp, petitioning and supporting us.”

Theresa Williams, who lives near the site, said she was “ecstatic” but disappointed that so much taxpayers’ money had been “wasted” during the process.

She said she was now looking forward to a brighter future for Scampton.

“We can now move forward with the £300m investment. That would be amazing for us.”

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