Chance of compromise in balance at Scampton asylum seekers’ site as Home Office muscles in
THE plan to use RAF Scampton to house asylum seekers has been given the go-ahead after the council ended its planned enforcement action.
West Lindsey District Council said that it had withdrawn its Enforcement Notice at RAF Scampton on April 5 after the Home Office confirmed it had laid a Special Development Order (SDO) in Parliament,.
The SDO will grant temporary planning permission for the site to be used for asylum accommodation. Therefore, the council has no planning grounds against which enforcement action can be pursued.
Councillor Trevor Young Leader of West Lindsey District Council said: “The Home Office has laid the SDO in Parliament, the council has been clear from the outset that the use of an SDO excludes the voice of our communities from being heard.
“We know this is incredibly important for our communities and we are committed to continuing to do all we can to represent their views and to protect the £300million investment plan, which we still believe is the right way forward.”
Sally Grindrod-Smith director of planning, regeneration and communities, said: “The Home Office has laid the SDO in Parliament, therefore, it is no longer expedient for the Council to continue with its current enforcement action.
“There are a significant number of conditions associated with the SDO, which the Home Office has to attend to before the site can go live. We as a council will be monitoring closely these conditions and seeking assurance from the Government of its compliance.”
As previously reported the Home Office had already confirmed it was reducing the number of people to be on site from 2,000 to 800 with a caveat to increase the number of people by 300, if there is a higherthan-expected demand for spaces.
The SDO is expected to be in place by April 11, 2024 – just days before the Home Office’s current Class Q (emergency planning powers) are due to expire.
The council has informed the Planning Inspectorate of the withdrawal, and confirmation has now been received that the Planning Inquiry scheduled for April 16 and 17 has been cancelled.
Sally added: “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. This is a rapidly changing position and further updates will be provided in due course.”
Previously during a meeting of Lincolnshire County Council’s Executive, Chief Executive Debbie
Barnes highlighted that the district council’s initial discussions focused on reducing the number of individuals to be accommodated at the site.
Subsequently, Gainsborough MP Sir Edward Leigh received correspondence from MP Tom Pursglove, the minister overseeing RAF Scampton, indicating that the site would house only 800 asylum seekers.
Ms Barnes later mentioned that discussions aimed at reaching a compromise were under way, where Scampton Holdings Ltd could 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.
However, the district council could not confirm this, as they haven’t been provided with any specific dates.
Following the meeting, Lincolnshire County Council Leader Martin Hill said: “It would appear that there is a compromise being agreed where I think the government is saying that there won’t be 2,000 coming anymore.
“I don’t think anything is agreed yet, but obviously, there will be a delay because there is still some work to be done on the proposed site.”
Recently, Lee Rowley, the Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Building Safety, sent a letter to WLDC highlighting concerns about potential risks to human health from ground gases and contamination at the former RAF site, which could impact both workers and asylum seekers.
The letter stated: “These risks could mean the site is not suitable for its intended use which could give rise to likely significant effects associated with human health.”
The council has been clear from the outset that the use of an SDO excludes the voice of our communities from being heard.
Councillor Trevor Young Leader of West Lindsey District Council