RAF Scampton: Dambusters base asylum plan unlawful, court told

Up to 2,000 asylum seekers could be housed at the site in Lincolnshire, the government has said

Government plans to use the former RAF Scampton site in Lincolnshire to house asylum seekers should be quashed, council bosses told the High Court.

West Lindsey District Council argues the decision to use the base, once home of the Dambusters, is "unlawful".

Braintree District Council in Essex is also challenging plans for ex-RAF Wethersfield, along with a resident.

Home Office ministers and Levelling up, Housing and Communities ministers are fighting their claims.

The London hearing heard the government was seeking to use both sites for a further three years beyond April 2024.

Richard Wald KC, representing West Lindsey District Council, told the judge that council bosses wanted a judicial review of the government decision.

Since the closure of RAF Scampton as an operational airbase was announced in 2018, the local authority has put together an "ambitious £300m redevelopment plan", Mr Wald told the hearing.

"[The council] has to date invested over £370,000 in these once-in-a-generation redevelopment proposals as well as a vast amount of time and effort," he said.

"Those investments and the opportunities offered by the redevelopment scheme proposed at RAF Scampton would be lost in the event that the site is used for the accommodation of asylum seekers."

He argued that the government decision was "unlawful" and said it "should be quashed".

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

Lawyers representing the two councils have made complaints about ministers' use of planning rules, claiming they could not rely on "permitted development rights" because there was no "emergency".

They also raised concerns about migrants being housed for longer than an initially envisaged 12 months, with the government hoping to use the sites for three years.

Ministers say the "emergency" argument is "misplaced". They say another judge has already made a ruling on the issue - and no evidence is being presented to show that ruling is wrong.

The court heard hotels cost an average of £151 per person per night to house asylum seekers, compared with £141 at Scampton and £122 at Wethersfield.

Mr Wald told the hearing about an "odd disconnect" between what the government discussed internally and what was shared externally.

He claimed discussions were being held about using Scampton for multiple years, yet publicly they emphasised the temporary nature of the project.

The Home Office intends to use MDP Wethersfield, near Braintree, Essex, to house up to 1,700 single male asylum seekers.

Along with the council, local resident Gabriel Clarke-Holland is also challenging the plans.

In Lincolnshire, the government plans to house up to 2,000 asylum seekers on land at the former RAF Scampton site, which has led to a number of protests.

The High Court hearing was adjourned until Wednesday, when Home Office legal representatives are expected to address the court.