Government considering housing asylum seekers in Essex
The leader of Braintree District Council told us he has been given very little information
A district council in Essex says it has been approached by the government to discuss housing asylum seekers.
Braintree District Council has been contacted by the Home Office about placing asylum seekers in MDP Wethersfield, though it stressed no decision had been made.
What is RAF Wethersfield currently used for?
Wethersfield was on loan to the United States Army Air Forces during World War Two, as well as the Cold War.
More recently, it was been used by the Ministry of Defence police base, though it is understood that some people do still live on the site.
In 2021, the Ministry of Justice proposed building two large prisons on the land - which would be some of the biggest in Europe - though a formal planning application has not been submitted.
Since the suggestion of the two prisons, a campaign called Stop Wethersfield Airfield Prisons (SWAP) has been set up to prevent the development. The group are now also opposed to the idea of placing asylum seekers on the site.
What has the council said?
Conservative leader of the council Graham Butland told us: "We were contacted on Monday evening about the possibility and I, personally, received a text from the Immigration Minister to say that RAF Wethersfield ... was one of the areas under consideration."
He added: "My understanding, and it is limited because we have had very little information, is that it would be accommodation for asylum seekers, which means that they are not detained and they are free to come and go.
"Now my point is, there's not very far you can come and go from Wethersfield, it is isolated.
"Real concerns about where would primary healthcare come from. The nearest surgery is some 5 miles away in Finchingfield, and that's a surgery which already is under huge demand and pressure."
Mr Butland also stressed concerns about access to public transport - there are no bus routes and the nearest train station is ten miles away - and schools, among other things.
When asked how much say the council would have, Mr Butland said: "The land is owned by the Ministry of Defence.
"The issue would be if such a base required planning permission. Now if it did, then Braintree District Council would have to determine any planning application.
"But it may be that it doesn't require planning a consent, in which case, there's probably very little that any Council, either ourselves or Essex County Council, would be able to do about it."
What has the local MP said?
In a statement on Facebook, Braintree MP James Cleverly wrote: "I have spoken with the Immigration Minister who has confirmed that while this is being considered, along with similar sites, a final decision has NOT been made at this stage.
"I highlighted the remote nature of the site, the limited transport infrastructure and narrow road network and that these factors would mean the site wasn’t appropriate for asylum accommodation."
What has the Home Office said?
According to the Home Office, they do not routinely comment on individual sites or proposals that may or may not be used for bridging or asylum accommodation.
But a spokesperson said: “We have always been upfront about the unprecedented pressure being put on our asylum system, brought about by a significant increase in dangerous and illegal journeys into the country.
“We continue to work across government and with local authorities to look at a range of accommodation options and sites but the best way to relieve these pressures is to stop the boats in the first place.
“That is why we are introducing legislation which will ensure that people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and swiftly removed to another country.”