West Lindsey council begins legal action over Home Office asylum seeker plans for RAF Scampton

A Lincolnshire district council has begun legal action against the Home Office following its announcement of plans to use RAF Scampton as a site to house asylum seekers.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick told the House of Commons on Wednesday that the former air force base would be one of the locations used to accommodate migrants who arrive in the UK on small boats across the English Channel.

West Lindsey District Council has now said it will take legal action against the move and that it doesn't believe the site is suitable for asylum seekers.

It also says the Home Office scheme will curtail plans to deliver a "£300 million regeneration programme" and "put at risk the world-renowned heritage" of the site.

In a statement on its website, the council said the Home Office had "failed to provide a satisfactory response to questions raised" and so had decided to challenge the decision.

The council’s Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities, Sally Grindrod-Smith, said: “Despite ongoing attempts by the Council to set out to the Home Office the irretrievable damage that would be caused to the once in a generation investment opportunity that is on the table, the Home Secretary has taken the decision to utilise RAF Scampton as a site for asylum accommodation.

“The council considers that the decision is irrational and moreover the Home Office does not have the appropriate planning permission for the intended use."

She said the council had issued a "letter before action", which requires the Home Secretary to respond by no later than 4pm on 6 April.

The statement said the council would continue to work with the Home Office and its partners to highlight a "number of barriers" to using the site for asylum purposes, including "significant contamination" from previous operations that require remediation before the site could be used.

Ms Grindrod-Smith added: “The council is acutely aware of the concern caused by the proposal and the potential loss of much needed ‘levelling up’ investment.

"We will continue to press the Home Office to engage directly with our community to fully understand the concerns being raised.”

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