A former RAF base counter-versionally intended to house 2,000 asylum seekers has found ground gases and unexploded artillery on the land, a government minister has claimed.
RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire is one of three locations the Home Office plans to use to house asylum seekers, hoping it will be cheaper than using hotels.
Between the three locations, the Bibby Stockholm ship in Portland, Dorset, the former Wethersfield military base in Essex and RAF Scampton, ministers wanted 3,000 reception places for asylum seekers.
The Bibby Stockholm and Wethersfield together can only accommodate less than 1,000 people – and none are in Scampton, with the first 60 due to arrive in the coming weeks.
A letter from Housing Minister Lee Rowley to West Lindsey District Council, which includes RAF Scampton, states that there are ‘potential risks to human health from ground gases, UXO (unexploded ordnance) and soil contamination which both may affect employees at the location such as the shelter. seekers’.
Ground gases and unexploded artillery have been found on the land, a minister has claimed.
Migrants are taken to Dover, Kent on board a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel on Saturday, March 30
A letter from Housing Minister Lee Rowley (pictured) to West Lindsey District Council, which includes RAF Scampton, states that there are ‘potential risks to human health from ground gases, UXO (unexploded ordnance) and soil contamination that could impact both site workers and asylum seekers’
The letter, seen by the Guardiancontinues: ‘These risks may mean that the site is not suitable for its intended use, which could give rise to likely significant impacts on human health.’
Mr Rowley’s letter adds that measures are being taken to make the RAF base safe, but that in the ‘unlikely event of a failure’ people on site will be moved from the affected site.
The Home Officer also sent a letter to the council this month saying the use of a military base could cause trauma to some asylum seekers.
The letter said: “Those housed at the site are likely aware that it was previously used as a military barracks. For some asylum seekers, this association may bring back memories of past mental trauma in their home country. Therefore, the site is unlikely to be considered suitable for people who are vulnerable or have serious mental health problems.”
The council is against Home Office plans to convert RAF Scampton into accommodation for asylum seekers, saying this would be a future heritage project for the base, which was home to the Dambusters and has five Grade II listed buildings on the site. could endanger.
West Lindsey City Council said the plan to increase the population in the rural area is “unsustainable and inappropriate”, citing the contamination.
Municipal officials were also concerned about ‘irreversible damage… to heritage sites of archaeological importance’.
A protest banner is seen at a protest camp outside the main entrance to RAF Scampton, the former home of the British Red Arrows and Dambusters squadron
The gateway to RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire is pictured here
Home Office statistics show that there were around 46,000 asylum seekers in hotels at the end of last year, at a cost of around £8 million a day.
A report recently published by the National Audit Office says that housing people at RAF Scampton will cost £45.1 million more than if they did so in hotels.
A Home Office spokesperson told The Guardian: ‘The asylum system is under unprecedented pressure, caused by a significant increase in dangerous and illegal journeys into the country. As part of the terms of the Special Development Order for RAF Scampton, a number of surveys will be carried out prior to occupation.
‘The safety of individuals remains our absolute priority, and we reiterate that any accommodation used in response to the increasing pressure on the UK asylum system will be fit for purpose and comply with all relevant housing and health and safety regulations. ‘