Former Norfolk RAF base could become activity centre
There'd be a bar and restaurant on site
A former RAF officers’ mess and asylum seeker processing base on the edge of a Norfolk village could be turned into an activity centre.
Developers have submitted plans to use the Jaguar Buildings at RAF Coltishall as a short-stay activity hub, with a bar, restaurant and dining room.
What activities it will offer have not been revealed, but the company behind the plans, BM Trust Ltd, has told Broadland District Council (BDC) it could be used by school groups, scouts, local businesses and wedding parties.
The site, in Badersfield, was previously used from April 2020 until February 2021 as an “initial assessment and accommodation centre” for asylum seekers waiting to find out whether their case to stay in the UK will be processed.
Within the first month of opening, some five calls to the police and 30 complaints to the district council were made.
Last year Home Office revitalised and then dropped controversial plans to bring the site back into use for processing asylum seekers.
The grade II-listed main Jaguar Building was built in 1938 to house RAF officers – a use which ended in 2005 – and it also briefly housed agricultural workers in the summer of 2021.
A planning statement for the new scheme submitted to BDC said: “It is envisaged that the proposed short-term accommodation could provide budget accommodation for a range of groups, activities and occasions.
“The function rooms will also be bookable separately by members of the public/organisations for occasions and educational or training purposes.”
In their planning statement, the BM Trust acknowledged that the previous usage of the site for asylum seekers had “created some issues with neighbouring residents”.
Their statement added: “It is clear that impacts on amenity are extremely important in the design, management, and execution of the proposal and therefore the applicant seeks to provide information to future guests to ensure there is no conflict.”