The government is reviewing Ministry of Defence land, including the former RAF Scampton airbase in Lincolnshire, as potential sites to accommodate asylum seekers as part of a drive to close hotel provision, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said this week. The announcement has reignited opposition in the village of Scampton, where residents and the local authority say the historic site and surrounding infrastructure are unsuitable for large-scale temporary housing.
RAF Scampton, the launch point for the Royal Air Force's 1943 “Dambusters” raid, has been at the centre of several proposals for reuse since it ceased full operational activity. A Conservative plan in 2023 proposed converting the site into accommodation for up to 2,000 people — later scaled back to 800 — and was estimated at about £50 million before the Labour government rejected it in 2024 on value-for-money grounds. The Home Office subsequently recorded spending tied to that earlier effort, which figures show cost at least £48 million.
Pollard said military planners have been moved into Border Security Command and the Home Office to review both military and non-military sites that could be used for "temporary but adequate accommodation" to speed the closure of asylum hotels. "The Prime Minister wants all asylum hotels closed, as do I, as does the British public," the minister told reporters, adding that the MoD was looking at "all of them again at the moment." A Ministry of Defence spokesperson declined to rule out revisiting prior plans and said the department would provide an update when decisions were finalised.
Local residents and West Lindsey District Council said Scampton is inappropriate for such a scheme. Sally Grindrod-Smith, the council's director of planning, regeneration and communities, said the site poses "significant challenges," citing the protection of nationally important heritage, limitations of rural infrastructure, unresolved contamination issues and the scale of disruption to the community. The council is working with development partner Scampton Holdings Limited, which has expressed interest in acquiring the site to pursue a proposed £300 million regeneration plan that would emphasise aviation history and tourism.
Several village residents said they feared disruption and questioned whether the former military buildings are structurally sound or economically feasible to convert. Steve Plews, landlord of the village pub, said the community had campaigned against earlier proposals and would resist further attempts. Ex-RAF personnel and local engineers said many buildings have been boarded up for decades and would require substantial remediation, including asbestos removal and repair of decayed interiors.
The renewed focus on repurposing military land follows government efforts to reduce the use of hotels to house people seeking asylum, a policy that has drawn both local protests and legal challenges. In a recent Court of Appeal decision relating to a hotel in Essex known as the Bell, judges set aside an injunction that would have prevented 138 asylum seekers from being housed there beyond a specified date; the Home Office had argued that shutting the hotel would set a precedent that could encourage similar actions elsewhere.
The Home Office said it has committed to closing all asylum hotels and will consider a range of cheaper, more appropriate sites such as disused accommodation, industrial premises and ex-military locations to "reduce the impact on communities." The department reiterated that any use of sites would focus on temporary and adequate solutions and that local authorities would be notified and consulted as required.
Opposition in Scampton has been vocal and persistent. Residents pointed to the site's wartime significance and previous proposals to develop it as a centre for aviation heritage, including possible attractions linked to the Royal Air Force's display team. Several locals said the uncertainty had already affected village life, property interest and local commerce during earlier publicity around the plans.
Critics of site reuse also raised practical concerns about utilities and transport. They said sewage, water and drainage systems in the rural area may not be able to support a large temporary population without significant investment. Some residents and former military staff said that only a small proportion of the estate had been in active use until recent years and that restoration costs could be substantial.
Parliamentary reaction has varied. Gainsborough MP Sir Edward Leigh has previously argued that Scampton should not be considered for asylum accommodation. Nationally, ministers say finding alternatives to hotels is part of a broader strategy to manage asylum accommodation more sustainably and to reduce public spending on emergency placements.
As debates continue in Westminster and consultations proceed with the MoD and Home Office, local planning and regeneration efforts have also advanced. Scampton Holdings Limited and West Lindsey District Council continue to promote a redevelopment plan focused on heritage-led investment, which supporters say would secure the site’s long-term future and preserve its historical significance.
Any final decision on using RAF Scampton or other MoD sites for asylum accommodation will require cross-departmental agreement and engagement with local authorities and communities. The MoD and Home Office have said they will update the public when definitive proposals are ready, while council officials and campaigners have vowed to press their concerns through formal consultation channels and planning processes.