First 50 asylum seekers arrive at RAF Wethersfield

The first 50 asylum seekers have arrived at a former RAF airbase in Essex as it is brought into use.

The arrivals on Wednesday to Wethersfield Airfield, around eight miles from Braintree, are people who were brought to a processing facility in Kent over the weekend from small boat crossings.

Cheryl Avery, director for asylum accommodation for the Home Office, said the site at Wethersfield will be "fully functional" by autumn with up to 1,700 single adult men there.

Speaking at the site on Wednesday, she said: "We've got about 50 people arriving today from various locations, but they arrived at our facility in Kent at the weekend on small boats."

She said that when asylum seekers arrive at the processing facility in Kent they are screened, with biometric and health testing, and assessed for suitability for the Wethersfield site.

She said the cohort at Wethersfield will be single adult men and after Wednesday's arrival of the first 50 people the Home Office will "ramp up".

"The plan is we will go to a maximum of 1,700 by the autumn, the site will be fully functional by that point," said Ms Avery.

There is an on-site GP surgery, accommodation blocks, a dining hall with meals three times a day, a multi-faith centre and recreation facilities including an indoor basketball court and a gym.

"We do have a shuttle bus facility that will take the asylum seekers on site out to the local area but it's all managed really carefully and that's done on a regular basis as well," said Ms Avery.

She said people would not stay at the site for more than nine months.

"We're really conscious of the fact we don't want people to be on the site for a long time," she said.

"We have a process whereby going through the asylum-seeking process they will be between six to nine months maximum and then they will be dispersed into another location if their claim goes beyond that.

"We don't want people to feel they are stuck on one site or communities to feel that they are unnecessarily burdened."

She said the site is run by a contractor and manned 24/7 with CCTV cameras in place.

"We make sure that everybody is safe, both asylum seekers on site and the community as well," said Ms Avery.

"We're also working really closely with Essex Police to make sure we run the site effectively.

"They've worked really closely with other police forces in a facility we have in Kent and they've shared lessons learned around how to keep the community safe and how to keep asylum seekers safe."

She said there are "a lot of facilities on site to ensure that people are fully occupied".

"In our site in Kent we've got people who have a running club, there are art lessons, there are lots of activities that keep people occupied, but also to engage with the community as well and learn how to be a good citizen," said Ms Avery.

"Everybody who arrives here goes through an orientation process to understand what acceptable behaviour is.

"We know they've been through quite a lengthy journey and they're in a new environment and it's important they understand how to fit in and be part of the community and minimise any impact."

She said everyone who arrives at the Wethersfield site is presented with a welcome pack at the briefing centre.

This contains toiletries and details, in a person's own language, on "what it is to be a good neighbour", Ms Avery said, adding that there are "ongoing sessions" about integrating into the community.