Plans to turn the historic RAF Scampton into a detention centre for up to 1,500 asylum seekers have been met with anger and criticism.
The Lincolnshire base was the headquarters of the Dambusters during World War II and has recently been used as a museum commemorating the achievements of the 617 Squadron.
However, it has been earmarked for a £300m regeneration scheme to bring aviation, space, education, and hospitality industries to the site, creating thousands of jobs. The move to turn it into a detention centre is part of the government’s attempts to ramp up deportation efforts.
Criticism of Plans
The change of use has been criticised by local historians and residents alike. Prominent historian James Holland has described it as a “desecration”, particularly as the “demolition” occurred on the 80th anniversary of the Dambusters’ efforts.
Meanwhile, locals who had been promised the site would soon be transformed into a new communal area filled with homes, hotels, and restaurants are also less than enthused.
Peter Hewitt, chairman of Scampton Holdings Limited, fears the scheme will ‘grind to a halt before it’s even got off the ground’. Mr Hewitt also branded plans to convert the site into a migrant detention centre for up to 1,500 adult men as ‘barking mad’.
He said if it goes ahead, it could also scupper plans for a new space port there, and says it is threatening to derail the ‘biggest regeneration and levelling up project’ in the north.
The Dambusters
RAF Scampton was home to the 617 Squadron during World War II, also known as the Dambusters. On May 16, 1943, 19 Lancaster bomber crews gathered at the base for a mission of extraordinary daring – a night-time raid on three heavily defended dams deep in Germany’s industrial heartland.
The raid, orchestrated by Guy Gibson and the RAF’s 617 Squadron, was seen as a major victory for the British, and Wing Commander Gibson is recognised as one of the war’s most revered heroes. Their success was immortalised in the classic 1955 film The Dambusters.
Concerns over the Regeneration Scheme
Under plans approved by the local council only last week, up to 37 acres of RAF Scampton will be used as a new space hub, with 23 acres dedicated to education, 17 to business, and 27 acres to heritage.
But Mr Hewitt fears that if the Home Office ploughed ahead with its plans, it would render the entire airfield unusable, stranding the £300m overhaul in limbo.
He said that the Scampton project would take between 10 and 15 years to complete. The airbase has a 10,000ft runway, and Mr Hewitt said he had already been approached by several companies keen to use this as a new space port, to launch small satellites into orbit on jets. Universities also want to put campuses there.
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