High Court intervenes on plan to house migrants at former RAF base

Priti Patel suggests Wethersfield is not a suitable location to house migrants

The Government’s plans to house migrants on a former military airbase in Essex have been put on hold, after the High Court intervened. The local council is taking legal action to prevent RAF Wethersfield base from being used to house asylum seekers. The High Court yesterday gave the local authority an agreement that a full injunction – taken against the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office – will be held on April 19.

The Home Office confirmed that they will not begin moving asylum seekers to the base until after the hearing.

The council has described the base as “unsuitable” for asylum seekers, warning that it could have a “significant impact” on the local community.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel said the council has her support, hitting out at the Home Office for their “failure to engage and communicate with the local communities”.

In a statement, she said: “The Wethersfield site is unsuitable for asylum accommodation and the Braintree District Council has my support in opposing this ill-thought-through plan from the Home Office.

“The Council and its leadership should be commended for standing up for the local community and defending them.

“With legal proceedings still ongoing it is very disappointing to see the Home Office starting work on the site and their failure to engage and communicate with the local communities affected in the District has only caused more alarm.

“I will continue to press the Home Office to rethink and scrap these plans and pursue alternative options for housing asylum seekers.”

A spokesperson for the local council said: “While this means that its legal action has not yet stopped the Home Office from starting to prepare the site for asylum seeker accommodation, the court hearing will provide an opportunity for the issues to be fully considered and for the High Court to rule on the legalities of the proposal.

“We still maintain that Wethersfield airfield is an unsuitable site to house asylum seekers, given the lack of capacity in local services, its isolated location and the fact that the scale of the development proposed could have a significant impact upon the local community.”

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “Delivering accommodation on surplus military sites will provide cheaper and more orderly, suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats whilst helping to reduce the use of hotels.

“These accommodation sites will house asylum seekers in basic, safe and secure accommodation as they await a decision on their claim.

“We understand the concerns of local communities and will work closely with councils and key partners to manage the impact of using these sites, including liaising with local police to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place.”

According to the 2011 census, Wethersfield has a population of around 1,200 people.

But they could soon be outnumbered by asylum seekers, once the base is full.

Last month, the Daily Express revealed that military wives and children are going to have to share the air base with the incoming asylum seekers.

One source, that lives on the the former RAF site, said: “Ninety per cent of the time my husband is away, so it’s me on my own with my children.

“It’s the same for most of the wives on the site. Our husbands’ jobs mean they are away a lot. You know, it is concerning. We are worried.”

“We don’t feel safe”.

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