Former RAF base set to accommodate asylum seekers for the next 10 years
RAF Barnham to house up to 1,250 asylum seekers under fast-tracked plans
A former military base on the Norfolk Suffolk border is set to house more than 1,000 asylum seekers for at least a decade, ministers have said.
The Home Office wants RAF Barnham to be in use for migrant accommodation for “a minimum of 10 years” and is trying to move the first occupants in by the end of the year.
Under the department’s plans, the site will accommodate up to 1,250 single adult men between 18 and 65 who have applied for asylum in the UK.
The controversial scheme is being fast tracked by the government using emergency planning powers reserved for developments of “national importance”, which will allow it to bypass local opposition.
The base is around a mile away from Thetford in the leafy village of Barnham, home to around 600 people.
Many living in the quaint community fear that the base will transform their way of life.
These concerns have been exacerbated by Andy Burnham’s recent comments that middle-class areas should “play their part” in accepting asylum seeker accommodation in their communities.
There have been regular protests around the base since the plans were announced in June, and these tensions boiled over last week when riots broke out in neighbouring Thetford.
Protestors – angry at the plans for RAF Barnham as well as asylum seekers being housed in HMOs in the town – vandalised properties and called for action from the government.
Asylum seekers were evacuated from the properties by police, who have so far made 19 arrests in connection with the disorder.
What does the Home Office say?
The plans for the base, outlined in a 1,244 word fact sheet uploaded by the Home Office, reveal significant details about the scale of proposals.
It states “the site would be used for a minimum of 10 years” as part of Labour’s drive to move migrants out of hotels and into former military sites.
The plans have been submitted via an Urgent Crown Development application – a rarely used planning route reserved for schemes deemed nationally significant, which sidesteps the standard council planning process.
The Home Office maintains “no final decision has been taken” on whether the site will go ahead.
However, while not mentioned in the document, the EDP understands that the government is hopeful that the first migrants will be moved in before the end of this year.
The site is currently used by Norfolk and Suffolk police for riot training, and during the Cold War was a storage site for nuclear weapons.
Reaction to the plans
Tensions remain high in Barnham and neighbouring Thetford, with another protest planned outside the base’s gates on Sunday afternoon.
Tensions which have been simmering in the area throughout the summer boiled over in last week’s disorder.
For three days in a row, properties were vandalised and migrants were removed from their homes by the police.
Despite the uproar, Labour has confirmed it is pressing on with the plans for the base.
The plans for RAF Barnham come as the government also seeks to accommodate migrants at two other sites in Oxfordshire and North Yorkshire.
Anna Turley, the immigration minister, has defended the proposals, telling the BBC the government’s priority is to house asylum seekers somewhere “secure” and “appropriate” that limits the impact on communities.
Her comments come as Andy Burnham said the government would ensure wealthier areas “play their part” in accommodating asylum seekers, arguing the “poorest communities” had already done enough.
Terry Jermy, the Labour MP for South West Norfolk, has condemned the plans, arguing that the Barnham site is not suitable.
He said: “From the moment MOD Barnham was announced as a potential site by the Home Office, I have been working closely with local councils and other stakeholders to raise objections.
“I have been clear, I do not believe MOD Barnham is a suitable site, and I have made these objections clear to the Home Office, other government ministers, and prime minister, Andy Burnham,” he said.
The MP has faced a wave of criticism in the town since the RAF Barnham plans were announced, and in June was chased by a crowd following a town council meeting where residents demanded action.
Mr Jermy, who has lived in Thetford for most of his life, has also created a parliamentary petition to lobby against the plans.
He says he will present it in the House of Commons when Parliament sits again in September.
Scott Hussey, a Reform county councillor, said: “There’s every indication that the camp will be semi-permanent. It could even be for more than ten years.
“There has been zero consideration for the impact on the surrounding communities, particularly for either Thetford or Barnham village.
“Every woman in Barnham could soon be outnumbered by six young men who arrived here illegally.
“What consideration has been given to their safety, or for children who attend the nearby primary school?
“Barnham camp affects affluent and more deprived areas while the HMOs are popping up everywhere from housing estates in Thetford to nearby quiet villages. Nowhere is safe.
“The only people I can see defending the government turning our communities into dumping grounds for illegal arrivals are middle class people who think they are immune to left wing policies.”
Norfolk and Suffolk constabularies have also warned the plans pose a “critical risk” to specialist training carried out at the base, telling the policing minister they would need up to six months to safely relocate without “significant compromise and disruption” to policing capabilities.
Breckland Council, West Suffolk Council and Thetford Town Council have also objected to the plans.
Security and facilities
The Home Office has also revealed other details about the plans for the military base.
A specialist provider will be appointed to run the site, with security guards on patrol 24 hours a day, seven days a week, backed by CCTV monitoring across the base.
Everyone entering or leaving the site will be required to sign in and out at the front gate, with the process overseen by a Home Office assurance team based on site.
All those accommodated will undergo security checks, with their fingerprints and photographs cross-referenced against immigration, criminality and missing persons databases before they arrive.
The document states the base will be a strict “no alcohol zone”, with any criminal activity reported directly to police.
The Home Office insists the site would be “designed to be largely self-sufficient” in a bid to minimise the impact on local services, with its own laundry facilities and communal spaces, and healthcare provision to be agreed with NHS partners.
Officials say occupancy will be ramped up gradually, with a “phased approach” starting with smaller numbers before reaching full capacity.
Asylum seekers housed at the base will not be given mobile phones or clothing by the Home Office, though they may receive donated items from charities.
A spokesman for the Home Office said: “We are closing every asylum hotel and moving asylum seekers into basic accommodation including ex-military sites.
“The population of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 35pc in the last year and by 63pc from the peak in 2023. Overall asylum costs have already fallen by £1 billion since the general election.
“We are working to fairly disperse asylum seekers across the country, working closely with local authorities, and listening to local concerns to reduce the impact on communities.”