West Lindsey District Council has been given the green light to progress with a full judicial review of the decision by the Home Office to use RAF Scampton as a centre for asylum accommodation.
The announcement follows a three-day permissions hearing, which was held in the High Court, London, where three Judicial Reviews were considered. This included one from Braintree District Council and a local resident of Wethersfield.
Lady Justice Thornton ruled that West Lindsey District Council should be granted permission to progress to a judicial review.
Sally Grindrod-Smith, Director of Planning Regeneration and Communities at West Lindsey District Council, attended the High Court hearing and welcomed the judgement.
She said: “We are pleased that that Lady Justice Thornton granted us permission to proceed with our Judicial Review on the following challenges; Reliance on the Environmental Impact Assessment screening decision and the reliance of Class Q. in this circumstance.”
The Council will now continue to prepare its case ready for the judicial review proceedings and it expects a date to be issued in due course.
Residents, media and representatives from Scampton Holdings Ltd were all in attendance at the High Court today for the hearing.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Trevor Young, has welcomed the decision, which he said demonstrates the council was right to pursue its legal challenge, as it clearly has a case. However, he warned there is still a lot of work to do.
Cllr Young said: “I welcome today’s judgement, which I hope the community will take as a positive in that it clearly shows we have a case. However, as we have seen at other large sites across the country and in particular at Wethersfield, the Home Office is continuing to press ahead with its plans to use larger sites for asylum accommodation.
“Therefore, our challenge is to continue to balance our legal process with our duty of care as a local authority, to hold the Home Office to account on their proposals, as we have been doing since March.
“Unfortunately, despite regular meetings with the Home Office and our partners, we still have many unanswered questions. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Home Office so it can put in place mitigating actions. We will also continue to push for open and transparent engagement with our community. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support so far and we will keep you informed as we hear of any updates.”
What happens now permission is granted?
The case will go to a final hearing with a date to be confirmed. To keep up to date on this issue you can visit West Lindsey District Council webpage: RAF Scampton
The Home Office has provided a factsheet on its proposals to use RAF Scampton, which can be seen by visiting their website: Home Office fact sheet
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