Home Office action silences local protests over RAF Scampton

West Lindsey District Council has today withdrawn its Enforcement Notice at RAF Scampton after the Home Office confirmed it had laid a Special Development Order in Parliament, effectively silencing communities around the site.

The order grants temporary planning permission for the site to be used for asylum accommodation which means the Council has no planning grounds against which to take enforcement action.

Cllr Trevor Young Leader of West Lindsey District Council said: “The Home Office has laid the SDO in Parliament, the Council has been clear from the outset that the use of an SDO excludes the voice of our communities from being heard. We know this is incredibly important for our communities and we are committed to continuing to do all we can to represent their views and to protect the £300million investment plan, which we still believe is the right way forward.”

Sally Grindrod-Smith, West Lindsey’s Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities, said: “There are a significant number of conditions associated with the SDO, which the Home Office has to attend to before the site can go live. We as a Council will be monitoring closely these conditions and seeking assurance from the Government of its compliance.”

The Home Office had already confirmed it was reducing the number of people to be on site from 2,000 to 800 with the option to increase the number of people by 300, if there was a higher-than-expected demand for spaces.

The SDO is expected to be in place by 11 April – just days before the Home Office’s current Class Q (emergency planning powers) were due to expire.

The Council has informed the Planning Inspectorate of the withdrawal, and confirmation has now been received that the Planning Inquiry scheduled for 16^th and 17^th April has been cancelled.

Sally added: “The Council continues to work hard to use the tools at our disposal to protect our communities and the long-term plans for investment into former RAF Scampton. This is a rapidly changing position and further updates will be provided in due course.”