West Lindsey District Council is still adamant that the former Raf Scampton is unsuitable to house refugees, and continues to push back against Home Office plans.
Work to safeguard the future of the former base continued this week as the new Central Lincolnshire Local Plan has been formally adopted by the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee.
Central Lincolnshire covers the three council areas of City of Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey, with a strategic planning partnership made up of the two district, city and Lincolnshire County Council.
West Lindsey District Council has welcomed this milestone, which followed months of consultation and has also been approved by an independent inspector who examined the plan.
West Lindsey District Council does not consider this site to be appropriate for asylum seekers and the Council remains clear that Home Office proposals will curtail plans to deliver the £300 million regeneration programme and put at risk the world-renowned heritage.
The Council issued a letter before action, to the Home Office and maintain the position that the Home Office’s decision to use the site is irrational and moreover the appropriate planning permissions for the intended use are not in place.
The Council’s Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities, Sally Grindrod-Smith, said: “Despite the Council’s ongoing engagement with the Home Office, the only correspondence received since the issue of the pre-action protocol letter has been to state that they could not make a substantive response by the deadline of 6th April and would seek to reply by 14th April.
“In light of this, the Council renewed its request that the Home Office take no steps towards the use of RAF Scampton until a substantive response to the Council’s pre-action protocol letter has been provided.”
The Council shares the concerns raised by the local community regarding the future of the site and the potential loss of the £300m regeneration scheme that was announced just days before the Home Office plans for the site emerged.
Councils are required to develop a Local Plan to shape and guide development in their area for at least a 15-year period. The plan must be based on local data providing a robust evidence base of need and be anchored in statutory consultation with communities, businesses and stakeholders, to shape and inform policy decisions.
West Lindsey District Council, as part of the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning unit, has proactively planned to safeguard the future of RAF Scampton through the new Local Plan. A specific ‘opportunity area’ policy for RAF Scampton is now included in the new plan, which provides a framework to ensure any redevelopment is sustainable and holistically planned. The policy is very clear that major development proposals for the site should be contained in a masterplan and any proposals that will result in a conflict between uses, safety concerns in connection with the ongoing use of the site or the airspace or which delivers substandard development, will not be supported.
Sally added: “Adopting a site-specific policy for RAF Scampton, based on sound evidence and shaped by our community, has been an aspiration of the Council since the closure of the base was announced. Today is a landmark moment as any future proposals for the site will be required to follow due process and conform with this policy.
“This work demonstrates that the Council takes a considered, planned and strategic approach to planning for the long-term development and regeneration needs of our communities. It is clear the Home Office’s recent announcement regarding RAF Scampton has not considered the key material planning matters and has not paid due attention to statutory processes.”
The Council will continue to strongly contest the Home Office decision to utilise RAF Scampton for asylum provision and further updates will be provided in due course.
