Plans to open a centre fro asylum seekers at the former RAF base in Linton-on-Ouse has been scrapped.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced he has pulled the plug on the proposal.
Asked about the scheme today, he said: “I have withdrawn the offer to the Home Office for that site. It’s been with them for a number of months.
“I have obligations to do something else with that site, and you know there are other sites we made available to the Home Office if they wish to take it up.”
The scheme had proved hugely unpopular with local residents who claimed it was the “wrong plan in the wrong place”.
Hambleton District Council had threatened legal action if the Government pressed ahead with the proposal for the facility for 1,500 asylum seekers.
Councillor Mark Robson, leader of Hambleton District Council, said today that the authority welcomed the news that Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had confirmed that RAF Linton had been withdrawn as an option for an asylum reception centre.
He added: “We are yet to be formally notified by the Home Office that RAF Linton is no longer being considered and until we receive this notification, the legal work I talked about in my previous statement remains ongoing.
“Had we as a council not intervened with this proposal and challenged the Government when we were first made aware of its plans, it is my firm belief that there would already be asylum seekers on site with the numbers steadily building up week by week.
“It will be an excellent outcome for the residents of Linton-on-Ouse and all those living in the surrounding areas as well as Hambleton District Council, if the plans are formally scrapped, as we are led to believe that they will be.
“As and when we do receive formal confirmation from Government, we will of course be happy to share this with the local community who has been understandably concerned for a number of weeks now.”
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