Council withdraws objections to RAF Scampton plans

RAF Scampton was once home to the 617 Dambusters Squadron, whose crews flew the famous May 1943 German dam raids

A council has withdrawn its official objections to the government’s plans to use RAF Scampton to house asylum seekers.

The Home Office has laid a Special Development Order (SDO) which grants temporary planning permission leaving West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) with no options to stop it using an enforcement notice.

Parliament is expected to grant planning permission for the use of the former station next week.

The council said it would still try to protect its development plans for the site.

Arrangements to move the first group of asylum seekers to RAF Scampton have been delayed as negotiations continue between the council and minsters about the site’s future use.

It was expected that the first group of around 60 migrants would be moved on to the former airbase from April 14 but this has now been pushed back to the summer.

Up to 800 asylum seekers will be housed at the Lincolnshire site.

At an earlier meeting, Lincolnshire County Council’s chief executive Debbie Barnes said discussions around a compromise were under way.

They are trying to negotiate for Scampton Holdings Ltd to start developing the site while the Home Office uses a portion of it to accommodate migrants for three years, starting with the initial group arriving this summer.

Sally Grindrod-Smith, WLDC's director of planning, said: “The council continues to work hard to use the tools at our disposal to protect our communities and the long-term plans for investment into former RAF Scampton.”

In a recent letter to WLDC, the government said the site was contaminated with unexploded bombs and ground gases, but that the risk was "not likely" to be significant.

There have been protests and legal challenges regarding the suitability of the site to house asylum seekers and the impact that will have on a £300m regeneration project for the site.

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