The Home Office has informed Braintree District Council that it wants to keep Wethersfield open past 2027 and to expand its permanent capacity from 800 to 1,245
Braintree District Council has learnt Wethersfield Asylum Accommodation Centre will remain operational beyond 2027 and permanently expand by 55 per cent.
The Home Office informed the Council of their plans yesterday evening (25 June).
Cllr Tom Cunningham, Leader of Braintree District Council, said: "We are bitterly disappointed that, after more than three years of having the UK's largest asylum accommodation centre imposed on this district, it appears it will now stay for an indeterminate amount of time.
"To compound this, the site will go from a standard capacity of 800 to 1,245, placing sustained strain on the community.
"Since March 2023, when the Home Office first told us of their plans, we have been clear that this disused airbase, in a very rural area, does not have the infrastructure to support a site of this scale.”
The latest temporary planning permission the government had given themselves to operate the site, known as the Special Development Order (SDO), was due to expire in April 2027. The site has been operational since June 2023.
Cllr Cunningham continued: "This decision will be deeply concerning for a community that has responded to an unprecedented situation with patience, dignity and pragmatism.
"We have been let down once again by the Home Office, particularly given previous indications from the Prime Minister that Wethersfield would close.
"Alongside partners, we have raised more than 1,400 points of discussion with the Home Office in an effort to mitigate the impact of this site.
"Much of this work reflects the local level of concern, which has been proliferated by inconsistent and insufficient engagement with the public.
"Misinformation and disinformation have been allowed to spread unchecked and it has been left to authorities like ours to pick up the pieces of a situation beyond our control.
"We are urgently seeking more details on these proposals and will now carefully scrutinise the legislation the government intends to use to extend the use of this site for the third time.
"At the same time, despite being treated with contempt by this government, we will continue to work constructively with the Home Office and partners to support a safe, well-managed site and secure the best possible outcomes for our communities.”
Who runs the site?
Wethersfield Asylum Centre is a non-detained Home Office accommodation site established on the former Wethersfield airfield. It is operated by Clearsprings Ready Homes on behalf of the Home Office.
More information:
We maintain a page regarding the Home Office’s asylum seeker accommodation centre at Wethersfield Airfield, which contains all our previous media releases on the site, here: