Home Office abandons asylum centre plan for RAF Newton
The Home Office has announced that it is abandoning plans to create an asylum accommodation centre at RAF Newton in Nottinghamshire.
Plans to turn the former RAF base into a centre to hold around 700 asylum seekers were strongly opposed by local residents and Rushcliffe Borough Council.
They argued that the proposed site would have a negative impact on the Green Belt and had poor accessibility.
Following a public inquiry in 2003, the Deputy Prime Minister, who has the final decision over planning decisions, announced on Wednesday that he would not be granting planning permission.
Rushcliffe Council said they were delighted by the “common sense” decision. Council leader George Buckley said: “This is a victory for local people, asylum seekers and most of all common sense over political dogma. Nobody wanted this poorly thought out centre – but the Home Office pressed on regardless.”
“We have argued consistently that, while centres like the one proposed may be the way forward, an isolated green belt site like Newton was the wrong place and was chosen for all the wrong reasons.”
Home Office Minister Des Browne said he is “disappointed” by the decision.
“However, we have always said we would abide by the Deputy Prime Minister’s decision and we will not be pursuing this site any further.
This decision means that, out of the original eight proposed accommodations centres, only one, in Bicester, is still likely to go ahead. Six other sites have already been rejected by the Government as unsuitable.
Mr Browne was clear that the Government will be continuing with the accommodation centre trials, saying: “The trial of accommodation centres is an important part of our reforms to overhaul the asylum system. Following planning approval last year we are moving forward with our plans for a centre in Bicester, Oxfordshire and our search for other suitable sites continues. These centres will play a key role in ensuring that asylum applications are processed fairly and efficiently.”
The centres are designed to house asylum seekers for short periods of time whilst their claims are processed, but they have been strongly objected to by local residents, while immigration charities have expressed concerns that they may stigmatise asylum seekers.
Asylum seekers would sleep in the centre at night, but be free to leave during the day. The Government believes that the centres would enable them to provide better levels of support for asylum seekers, whilst also making it easier to begin deportation proceedings if the claims fail.
