Agreement Reached Over Illegal Immigrant Housing at Dambusters Airbase, Says Council

A view of RAF Scampton where the Dambusters were based during the Second World War, in Lincoln, England, on March 29, 2023. (Callum Parke/PA Wire)

Two district councils have dropped legal challenges against the Home Office over proposed plans to house illegal immigrants at disused RAF bases, including RAF Scampton, previously home to the 617 “Dambuster” Squadron.

West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) said on Tuesday that it had withdrawn legal action and reached an “agreement in principle” with the Home Office to explore the “temporary, dual use” of RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. The agreement would see 10 percent of the base used to house 800 asylum seekers, which the council said was a step forward in its vision to deliver regeneration plans for the historical site.

On Thursday, Braintree District Council (BDC) also announced that it had withdrawn its appeal against the Home Office’s decision to house asylum seekers at the disused RAF Wetherfield in Essex.

As part of the government’s plans to move illegal immigrants out of hotels and into larger sites, the Home Office secured Special Development Orders (SDOs) for both former RAF bases earlier this year.

WLDC and BDC had lost a High Court battle in December when judge Mrs. Justice Thornton ruled the decision to house asylum seekers at the locations was lawful. Initially, both councils had said they would appeal the decision.

Protecting Regeneration Plans ‘a Priority’

WLDC said that the agreement with the Home Office would see the site used for a fixed period of time—until October 2027—with a portion of the land used for development and regeneration. The project will see £300 million invested into the site to preserve and protect its aviation heritage as well as enhance the site for business, education, and aerospace opportunities.

Two listed hangars, the listed officers’ mess hall, and the grave of Wing Commander Guy Gibson’s dog will be transferred to WLDC once the legal agreement is in place, the local authority said.

The Dambusters was formed at the Lincolnshire airbase from where Lancaster bombers departed for the 1943 raid, codenamed “Operation Chastise,” which destroyed two dams in the Ruhr valley, the industrial heartland of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Councillor Trevor Young, the leader of WLDC, said: “The council have always been clear that whilst it is our view that the site is unsuitable for large scale asylum accommodation, protecting the investment and regeneration plans for the site is a priority. This agreement provides the principles by which we can collaborate to unlock our investment and regeneration plan by working with the Home Office through a shared use proposal.”

The Home Office had proposed to house some 2,000 illegal immigrants at RAF Scampton, but acknowledging local opposition, the department said in March that it would cap the number to 800.

Braintree

Meanwhile, BDC has dropped its appeal, which the council said in a statement was “no longer expedient” to pursue. The council said it had to weigh up whether it was worth accruing the costs, which would add to its budgetary pressures, and the impact on resources.

Leader of BDC Graham Butland said: “We’ve spent the last few months carefully considering our legal challenge and with the Special Development Order now in place, we feel at this time it is within the best interest to safeguard our resources and money.

“The cost of the legal challenges has had to be met by taxpayers across the whole of the Braintree district, which has been an important consideration as part of this decision.”

Mr. Butland said that the council did not agree with the approach the government took “by using the site for large-scale asylum accommodation, and bypassing us as the local planning authority to grant itself permission, which meant the opportunity for communities’ voices to be heard was lost.”

‘Little to Show’ for Money Spent So Far

The announcements from the councils come after the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) criticised the Home Office’s asylum measures, saying in its report published on Wednesday that the department “does not have a credible plan” for sending illegal immigrants to Rwanda and has “little to show for the money spent so far.”

The PAC report was also critical of the Home Office’s Large Sites Programme for housing illegal immigrants, making specific mention of the Scampton and Wethersfield sites which “will now accommodate significantly fewer people than the Home Office envisioned,” meaning “a higher per person cost” per site. The report added that the Home Office’s initial estimates for the set up costs for these bases was £5 million each, which then ballooned to £49 million at Wethersfield and £27 million at Scampton.

A view of RAF Wethersfield in Essex, England, on March 29, 2023. (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

A Home Office spokesperson responded to the PAC report, saying: “We have updated Parliament on a number of occasions concerning costs relating to the Migration and Economic Development Partnership.

“We have followed standard processes regarding procurement, including of large sites, and as the Permanent Secretary has made clear, the department continues to evaluate and learn lessons from procurement exercises and our Large Sites Programme.”

The Epoch Times has approached the Home Office for further comment.

PA Media contributed to this report.