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Asylum seeker cabins removed from RAF Scampton

Local Democracy Reporting Service The gates to RAF Scampton. Four brick pillars and black gates with red and orange signs on. There is a road leading up to the gates which is outlined by path and grass. Local Democracy Reporting Service
Work has begun to remove the temporary accommodation which was never used

Temporary homes which were due to house asylum seekers are being removed from RAF Scampton.

Plans for the site, near Lincoln, to house people seeking asylum were scrapped by the government in September, about two months after Labour came to power.

The decision freed up the site for Scampton Holdings Limited's £300m regeneration project which would see the former RAF base used for aviation, heritage, tourism, education and research.

The Home Office said the site would be sold in line with its processes and has been contacted for comment on its latest plans for the site.

Gaz Lockwood A cabin on a transporter lorry being driven out of the Scampton siteGaz Lockwood
The cabins were lifted by a crane on to transporters and driven away

The former home of the Dambusters and Red Arrows was due to house up to 2,000 asylum seekers but, after a campaign by local residents, the plans were scrapped.

The cabins, which have been unused since September 2023, were moved by a crane and driven away on transporters, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) said the plans had cost £60m to date and would have cost a total of £122 million by the end of the site's use in 2027, if they had gone ahead.

Dame Angela Eagle, the minister for border security and asylum, said when the closure was announced it would "save millions for the taxpayer".

Sarah Carter A distance shot of a yellow crane attached to a cabin. There are three cabins in total. They are surrounded by metal fencing and there is grass in front, closer to the screen. Sarah Carter
The cabins have not been used and are being taken away

Sarah Carter, who led the Save Our Scampton campaign, said: “People are saying ‘we’ve won’ - but we’ve only won the battle, not the war. We're back to where we started. It's a waiting game now."

In October, council leaders claimed there was no timeline for the sale of the site, which is still owned by the Home Office.

Ms Carter, who has spent the last 18 months fighting the plans, said: “Until the council get the land, it’s not over.

“That regeneration project would be life-changing for so many people in the area, and it’s been such a long time coming.”

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