Wethersfield base could be used for three years for migrants

MDP [Ministry of Defence Police] Wethersfield, about 10 miles north of Braintree in rural north Essex, is owned by the Ministry of Defence

The Home Office is preparing to use special planning powers to use a former RAF station to house asylum seekers for three years, the BBC understands.

It had said it intended to use the site to house up to 1,700 single male asylum seekers for up to one year at MDP Wethersfield near Braintree in Essex.

Braintree District Council said the Home Office had informed it of its intention to use it for three years.

The Home Office said it was liaising with councils to "manage the impact".

The Ministry of Defence (MoD)-owned land was one of the sites identified when Minister for Immigration Robert Jenrick unveiled plans in March to house asylum seekers in disused military bases to reduce reliance on paying for hotels.

The first migrants moved on to the site in July.

The council and local residents confirmed the Home Office had informed them of its intention to seek a Special Development Order (SDO) to use the Wethersfield site for three years.

SDOs are used by central government for planning proposals deemed to be of national significance, and they allow approval to be granted urgently without the need to seek planning permission from local councils.

The Home Office wants to accommodate up to 1,700 male adults at MDP Wethersfield

Graham Butland, Conservative leader of Braintree District Council, said: "This news from the Home Office confirms their intention to use the site for at least a further three years.

"This will of course raise concerns in the local community.

"Once again, this sidelines us as the local planning authority and prevents our communities from having a voice, as they would have through the normal planning process."

Wethersfield resident Nick Godley said: "In my view it was never their intention to use the base for one year.

"It's perfectly obvious that moving Portakabins on to the site and installing local sewage disposal equipment means they are setting in for the long haul."

Asked about the plan to use an SDO, a Home Office spokesperson said: "Delivering accommodation on surplus military sites provides more orderly, suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats while reducing the use of hotels.

"We understand the concerns of local communities and are liaising with councils and local services to manage the impact of using these sites on a temporary basis."

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Alan Mackenzie, chairman of the Fields Association, which campaigns against development in the area, and local group Stop Wethersfield Airfield Prisons, said he believed the Home Office would lay the SDO before Parliament just before Christmas.

He said that would give "MPs less time to consider their position on it".

A two-day judicial review hearing is due to begin later at the High Court into the Home Office's decision to house asylum seekers at both RAF Wethersfield and RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

Braintree District Council is bringing legal action to challenge the use of Wethersfield, and West Lindsey District Council is challenging similar plans for Scampton.