Gainsborough's MP condemns Home Office decision to put former Scampton base on open market
The site is due to be on the open market in a matter of weeks
Last updated 2nd Apr 2025
Gainsborough's MP has condemned a move by the Home Office to put the former RAF Scampton site on the open market.
A £300 million pound regeneration plan was in place before the base was earmarked to house asylum seekers under the previous Conservative Government.
After that was scrapped, West Lindsey District Council had hoped it could go ahead with previous plans.
The Council had hoped they would be able to buy it rather than the site being put on the open market.
Dame Angela Eagle MP, the Minister for Border Security & Asylum, wrote to the local MP to inform him that the Home Office “will begin to market the site in the coming weeks”.
Sir Edward Leigh sai:d
“This will delay matters for months when we have a funded plan ready to go.
“They can sell it immediately to a public sector body by West Lindsey through existing procedures.
“West Lindsey District Council and Scampton Holdings Limited have put years of work and effort into crafting a better future for Scampton".
The Member of Parliament said he would continue to work alongside West Lindsey District Council to seek the best possible future for the site.
"We went to see the minister a few weeks ago and we begged her not to put it on the open market because nobody is going to bid for it - it's got a hundred decaying buildings."
A Home Office spokesperson said:
“This government inherited an asylum system unprecedented strain, including plans to house asylum seekers in RAF Scampton, which ran up spiralling costs of over £60million between March 2023 and September 2024.
“We have taken swift action to review and discontinue the use of RAF Scampton as asylum accommodation, in order to save the taxpayer millions in projected site costs.
"We must comply with market regulation of public land, rather than just handing it to the council. The sale of the site is taking place in line with the process for disposing of Crown Land.”
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