An Essex council is considering its legal options against the Home Office to try to prevent plans to house asylum seekers on an airfield close to a small village.
Braintree district council confirmed it was seeking legal advice to try to prevent the Home Office moving 1,500 asylum seekers on to Wethersfield airfield. A public meeting in the north Essex village on Sunday afternoon organised by a residents’ group, the Fields Association, was attended by more than 200 people. The village has a population of 700 and residents say an airbase “in the middle of nowhere” is not suitable place to accommodate such a large number of male asylum seekers.
According to a report in the Telegraph, Rishi Sunak is due to announce in the next few days the “beginning of the end” of placing asylum seekers in hotels. More than 50,000 migrants are currently living in hotels at a cost of more than £6m a day. Instead it is understood they will be moved to military bases such as Wethersfield and Scampton in Lincolnshire.
While the residents at Sunday’s meeting held a range of views about asylum seekers, all were united in their opposition to housing them on a remote rural site.
The message from the association was: “Wrong plan, wrong place, wrong process.”
It was understood at the meeting that there would be an injunction going forward this week, as the council had not received satisfactory answers from the Home Office. Following publication, the council contacted the Guardian to say it was still “considering all legal options at this stage”.
A council statement said the Home Office needed to give 14 days’ notice before moving asylum seekers on to the site.
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary and MP for Braintree, wrote on his Facebook page that Wethersfield was inappropriate as an asylum camp because of “the remote nature of the site, limited transport infrastructure and narrow road network”.
One local resident, Sam Clarke-Holland, said: “This is not the right place for asylum seekers to come to. The population of Wethersfield is only 700. If 1,500 asylum seekers are put here the ratio won’t work. There are not even pavements here for them to walk on.”
Residents told the Guardian that while there were some facilities on the airbase site, including a pub, a gym, a social centre and a cinema, they have all closed. The pub was flooded and there is asbestos in some of the shed roofs. Residents also raised concerns about protection of wildlife on the site if it is redeveloped. There are 74 species of birds known to nest on or pass through the site.
Metal fencing has been erected separating different parts of the site and residents say they have been told the Home Office plans to house asylum seekers in portable buildings on the runway. It is understood that local NHS teams have been alerted about the asylum seeker plans.
Simone Sutcliffe, who has lived in the area for 41 years, said the news had come as a shock as the Home Office had only said it was considering using the site on 7 March. “I’m absolutely devastated about this plan. I do feel sorry for the asylum seekers. They could be stuck here for months. It’s not possible to live here without a car.”
One resident, who did not want to give his name, said peaceful civil disobedience such as residents chaining themselves to the gates of the airbase might be required to prevent the Home Office going ahead with its plans.
A government spokesperson said: “We have always been upfront about the unprecedented pressure being put on our asylum system, brought about by a significant increase in dangerous and illegal journeys into the country. We continue to work across government and with local authorities to identify a range of accommodation options.
“The government remains committed to engaging with local authorities and key stakeholders as part of this process.”
• This article was amended on 28 March 2023 to clarify in the headline and text that the council was considering all legal options, but had not taken legal action as an earlier version indicated. The council announced later on 28 March 2023 that it was preparing to apply to the high court for an interim injunction challenging the Home Office proposals to place asylum seekers at Wethersfield Airfield.
