RAF Scampton: Council's legal battle over airfield asylum site to begin

The High Court will hear a council's bid to stop Home Office plans to convert an RAF station into a migrant camp later.

The government said it wants to use RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire as a site for up to 2,000 asylum seekers.

West Lindsey District Council launched legal action last month, fearing the move would affect plans for a £300m regeneration project.

Councillor Roger Patterson said: "I hope we win the case and get our deal."

Mr Patterson, the Conservative councillor for the Scampton Ward, said the regeneration project would secure "growth and prosperity, and deliver a bright future for everybody".

However, he said he does not envisage anyone ever being housed on the site, as the government can only "override" local planning laws for up to one year, before formal planning applications need to be submitted.

"I don't think they [the asylum seekers] will ever turn up, because I don't think the site is in a fit state to be ready within the timeframe," he added.

RAF Scampton was the former home of the Red Arrows and the World War Two Dambusters squadron.

The Home Office previously said: "We understand the concerns of local communities and will work closely with councils and key partners to manage the impact of using these sites, including liaising with local police to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place."

Last month, Braintree District Council failed to prevent similar plans from going ahead at a former military base in Wethersfield.

The local authority wanted the High Court judge to grant an injunction preventing 1,700 asylum seekers from being housed on the site, arguing proposals would breach planning control.