West Lindsey District Council withdraws it's enforcement notice at RAF Scampton
It's after the Home Office confirmed it had laid a Special Development order in Parliament
Last updated 5th Apr 2024
West Lindsey District Council has confirmed it's withdrawn it's enforcement notice at RAF Scampton.
It's after the Home Office laid a Special Development Order in Parliament which will grant temporary planning permission for the site to be used for asylum accommodation .
The Council says this means it has no grounds to pursue the action.
The Home Office has previously said it's working closely to listen to the local communities’ views and to reduce the impact of these sites.
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."
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 higher-than-expected demand for spaces.
The SDO is expected to be in place by 11 April 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 16th and 17th April 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.”
A Home Office spokesperson has previously said:
“We have always been clear that the use of asylum hotels is unacceptable which is why we acted swiftly to move asylum seekers on to barges and former military sites, reducing the impact on local communities. We’re delivering on our plan by closing one hundred asylum hotels by the end of March.
“Planning permission has been granted to extend the use of Scampton and Wethersfield for three years under two Special Development Orders.
“We are working closely to listen to the local communities’ views and to reduce the impact of these sites, including through providing onsite security and financial support."