Countdown has begun to opening of new asylum centre at RAF Scampton

On Thursday, March 21, the SDO that extends the government’s use of the site for an additional three and a half years was laid in Parliament.

Up until now, the government utilised emergency planning powers, specifically known as Class Q, to repurpose the former airbase into an asylum centre.

Initially, this centre was intended to house up to 2,000 migrants. However, recent updates have confirmed that the capacity has been reduced to 800.

The SDO stipulates that “service users” cannot be accommodated on the site until the Home Secretary ensures that necessary medical and security facilities are in place.

The medical facilities mandated include an isolation unit equipped with a minimum of 40 beds and adequate nursing staff. The required personnel must encompass a healthcare assistant, a mental health nurse, a general nurse, an advanced nurse practitioner, and a general practitioner.

The documents also detail a regular, free shuttle bus service to Lincoln, Gainsborough, and Newark-on-Trent.

The service will provide at least three daily round trips to each destination. Each bus will have the capacity to accommodate a minimum of 16 people.

An official move-in date for the initial wave of asylum seekers remains unconfirmed; however, certain Home Office documents suggest April 14 as a possible date.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have always been clear that the use of asylum hotels is unacceptable, which is why we acted swiftly to move asylum seekers on to barges and former military sites, reducing the impact on local communities.

“We’re delivering on our plan by closing one hundred asylum hotels by the end of March.

“Planning permission has been granted to extend the use of Scampton and Wethersfield for three years under two Special Development Orders.

“We are working closely to listen to the local communities’ views and to reduce the impact of these sites, including through providing onsite security and financial support.”