Wethersfield: Migrant facility at former RAF station to be discussed

A district council says it has been approached by the government to discuss using a former RAF station to house asylum seekers.

Braintree District Council said it would also be "seeking clarification" about any plans for MDP Wethersfield in Essex.

The Home Office said it was looking at a "range of accommodation options".

A residents' group said the site was "totally inappropriate" for housing asylum seekers.

Conservative council leader Graham Butland told BBC Essex he understood migrants would be allowed to "come and go freely" from the site if the proposal went ahead.

"That makes Wethersfield even more unsuitable because it's not linked to a town or anything like that," said Mr Butland.

"We are desperately trying to get more information from government departments but at the moment it's fair to say we are fairly much in the dark."

A council spokesman said it was approached overnight on Monday by government to "discuss the potential role of the Wethersfield airfield site in housing asylum seekers".

"We are aware of the recent news and social media coverage around this, and we will be seeking clarification from the Home Office," the spokesman added.

Braintree Conservative MP James Cleverly said he spoke to immigration minister Robert Jenrick about Wethersfield and added: "I highlighted the remote nature of the site, the limited transport infrastructure and narrow road network and that these factors would mean the site wasn't appropriate for asylum accommodation."

Home Secretary Suella Braverman introduced the government's Illegal Migration Bill to the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Ms Braverman said £6m was spent each day housing asylum seekers in hotels.

A Home Office spokesman did not confirm it had approached the council but said: "We continue to work across government and with local authorities to look at a range of accommodation options and sites."

Mark Ault, a member of the The Fields Association group, which has campaigned against development at Wethersfield, said one resident who lived on the grounds had been told to vacate by September.

"We should be integrating asylum seekers into the community, but there's nowhere to integrate them into here," said Mr Ault.

"It's totally inappropriate - it's inhumane."

Wethersfield was loaned by the RAF to the United States Army Air Forces during World War Two and the Cold War.

There is no longer an RAF presence but it is used as a Ministry of Defence (MOD) police base for various activities, including training exercises.

In 2021 the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) proposed building two prisons on the land - housing 3,400 male inmates - but it has not yet submitted a planning application for the project.

The airfield is not served by a bus route and is roughly 10 miles from the nearest railway station in Braintree.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]