Council have been promised access to RAF Scampton
It's after West Lindsey District Council were denied access to the base earlier this week
The Home Office has promised to give West Lindsey District Council access to the RAF Scampton asylum camp work after being denied entry on Monday and Tuesday.
Council officers are scheduled to inspect the former airbase on Thursday, after a Temporary Stop Notice (TSN) that was served last Friday, requiring the Home Office to stop work near the listed buildings, intrusive surveys and putting up fencing.
However, the Home Office has been accelerating its efforts to transform the site into an asylum centre, with more portacabins arriving on site all week, including on Wednesday.
Since the council issued the stop notice, officers have been consistently denied access, and the Home Office has refrained from commenting due to ongoing legal proceedings, with a judicial review scheduled at the end of October.
Sally Grindrod-Smith, WLDC Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities, said:
“Following the Temporary Stop Notice, the council has been granted full access to the site on Thursday, September 14.
“Technical officers will assess all activities across the site and then they will need time to consider the findings.
“The council would like to thank the community for their support and communications in providing us with information on the site and we will continue to keep you updated with information where we can.”
A Home Office spokesperson said:
“Delivering accommodation on surplus military sites provides cheaper and more orderly, suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats whilst helping to reduce the use of hotels.
“We are confident our project, which will house asylum seekers in basic, safe and secure accommodation, meets the planning requirements.”