Wethersfield: Council granted hearing over asylum seeker plan

A council has been granted an injunction hearing over government plans to house asylum seekers at a former RAF station.

Braintree District Council said MDP Wethersfield in Essex was "unsuitable" as it was "isolated" and had "low capacity on local services".

A High Court hearing will take place on the legality of the Home Office's actions regarding the site on 19 April.

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.

The council said the Home Office confirmed it would not move asylum seekers on to the airfield until after the court hearing and will "only do so if they succeed in defending their position against our injunction".

However, it said the government would still begin preparations to use the site as asylum seeker accommodation.

The authority said the scale of the proposed development at the airfield "could have a significant impact upon the local community".

The site no longer has an RAF presence, but it continues to be used as a Ministry of Defence Police base for various activities, including training exercises.

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

In a statement, the council said the hearing would "provide an opportunity for the issues to be fully considered and for a determination to be given by the High Court on the legalities of the proposal".

The Home Office previously said it was working with local authorities to "identify a range of accommodation options" as it tried to end its reliance on hotels.

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