Asylum seeker plans for Scampton scrapped

The Home Office has scrapped plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Scampton, the former Ministry of Defence site north of Lincoln.   

Opening the site from this autumn as planned would have cost a total of £122 million by the end of its use in 2027, meaning the site no longer represents value for money.  

A total of £60 million has already been spent on the site. 

Work to close the site will begin immediately with the sale happening in line with the process for disposing of Crown land.   

Progress is already being made to clear the backlog of asylum cases, which will save around £7.7 billion in asylum costs over the next decade.    

The Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle MP said: “Faster asylum processing, increased returns and tighter enforcement of immigration rules will reduce demand for accommodation like Scampton and save millions for the taxpayer as we drive forward work to clear the asylum backlog and strengthen our border security.

“We have also listened to community feedback and concerns about using this site for asylum accommodation.”

City of Lincoln Council, Cllr Naomi Tweddle welcomed the news: “We are delighted to hear that, as part of the government’s plans to fix the country’s asylum system, the Home Secretary and Minister for Border Security and Asylum have made the decision to scrap plans to use Scampton as asylum accommodation.

“It was always our belief that this was a completely inappropriate location for such a facility. 

"I would now like to wish West Lindsey District Council well with their continued work with investors to develop the site so it can be used in a more appropriate way in the future. 

"We will, of course, work with partners to, where possible, help secure this."

The site is located in West Lindsey and the district council has battled the Government’s plans for 18 months and there has been £300m aviation heritage and associated specialised industry development planned for the site through Scampton Holdings Limited.

Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr Trevor Young added:“We have always been clear that the best use for this historic, key strategic asset was to unlock the potential to drive economic growth and prosperity in our place, for Lincolnshire and beyond. 

“Today we can finally put to bed an incredibly difficult period for our community and focus time, energy and resource on this once in a generation opportunity to honour the heritage of this site through regeneration and the delivery of investment in jobs and skills.”

Cllr Young stressed that the council remained committed to working with Scampton Holdings Limited to realise the potential of the site. 

“The council now look forward to finalising plans with SHL which have necessarily had to pause whilst the issues played out. We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support and commitment from SHL, and the patience they have shown us, whilst working through the issues. We hope that our collaboration can now accelerate at pace.”

Peter Hewitt, Chairman of Scampton Holdings Limited looked to the future: “We must now put this period behind us, roll up our sleeves and work together to unlock the true potential of Scampton for generations to come. 

“We look forward to concluding our contract with West Lindsey District Council and moving into a period where we can work both with investors and the local community to achieve something very special in the defence, air and space sector in this unique corner of Lincolnshire.”

Sally Grindrod-Smith, Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities for the council has played a pivotal role in spearheading West Lindsey’s opposition to the former Government’s asylum plans.

“Work will now progress at pace to conclude the necessary contracting arranging and secure formal, long term access to the site. In the meantime, it will be important to work with the Home Office to ensure any works already completed on site can be decommissioned and removed sensitively so as to protect the heritage of the site’. 

The Council pressed long and hard for better engagement from the Home Office with our communities throughout this process. 

Sally continued: “We recognise this period has been particularly tough for our community very local to Scampton. We are fortunate to have had the support and backing of local people who grasped from day one the huge potential in the future of this site and we want to build on our learning as we move forwards together. 

“To this end, we are pleased to announce that working with Scampton Parish Council, a formal taskforce will be led by the Council, engaging all key stakeholders as the masterplan for the site now moves forward. Details of this approach will be developed together, but the principle of sharing information and shaping future plans together will be at the heart of our work.”

This is a developing news story – check back for updates.