RAF Colitishall to become detention centre?
NCADC | 23.11.2006 00:13 | Anti-racism | Migration | Repression
Fresh plans to turn RAF Coltishall in Norfolk into a detention centre for asylum seekers and irregular migrants was discussed by the Home Office on Tuesday 21st November 2006.
Although the government department previously ruled out any interest in the site, the last minute approach to potentially convert the former Battle of Britain base into a "jail" for people awaiting deportation surprised officials and politicians who have been working on a task force to develop the base, which closes its gates next week.
The Norwich Evening News first broke the news of plans to transform RAF Coltishall in February this year and proposals at the time included building a waste incinerator at the site and transforming it into housing for migrant workers.
RAF Coltishall is currently on the market and a flurry of potential buyers have been touring the site, which is set to be sold by tenders which need to be in by the end of January but fears have been raised that yesterday's move throws the whole process into confusion.
The news came on a day when the Home Office was under fire after the number of deportations fell by a quarter to 3,635, which was 18pc below the government's target.
The Home Office last night said Coltishall was just one of a number of options it was exploring in a bid to increase the number of centres to hold people who had broken immigration laws before they were deported. Detainees were a mixture of failed asylum seekers and people who had overstayed their visas, said a spokeswoman.
She added: "There is a shortfall of detention spaces which is rising and we need to increase them following a summer review of immigration including a need to speed up handling of those with no right to be here."
The news was broken to Norfolk MPs Norman Lamb and Keith Simpson by Home Office minister Liam Byrne who confirmed the Immigration and Nationality Directorate had visited the Norfolk site "with a view to potential conversion to an Immigration Removal Centre".
The minister assured them in a letter that it would have "minimal impact on the local communities" and could deliver about 500 new jobs to the area.
Mr Lamb said there would be concerns from the local residents about using Coltishall for such a centres, but it would be wrong to discount the potential of 500 jobs at government, rather than local, wages.
He said the Home Office 11th hour intervention was also symptomatic of a "chaotic" government department, and thought that sites nearer a major port or airport, where deportees would leave, would be more suitable.
Mr Simpson said the move was a "bolt out of the blue" which would "open a Pandora's box".
The timing of the move was also tagged "unhelpful" by David Hayman, co-ordinator of a Coltishall task force aimed at promoting redevelopment of the base, but he said it would be wrong to "throw it out of court".
The Norwich Evening News first broke the news of plans to transform RAF Coltishall in February this year and proposals at the time included building a waste incinerator at the site and transforming it into housing for migrant workers.
RAF Coltishall is currently on the market and a flurry of potential buyers have been touring the site, which is set to be sold by tenders which need to be in by the end of January but fears have been raised that yesterday's move throws the whole process into confusion.
The news came on a day when the Home Office was under fire after the number of deportations fell by a quarter to 3,635, which was 18pc below the government's target.
The Home Office last night said Coltishall was just one of a number of options it was exploring in a bid to increase the number of centres to hold people who had broken immigration laws before they were deported. Detainees were a mixture of failed asylum seekers and people who had overstayed their visas, said a spokeswoman.
She added: "There is a shortfall of detention spaces which is rising and we need to increase them following a summer review of immigration including a need to speed up handling of those with no right to be here."
The news was broken to Norfolk MPs Norman Lamb and Keith Simpson by Home Office minister Liam Byrne who confirmed the Immigration and Nationality Directorate had visited the Norfolk site "with a view to potential conversion to an Immigration Removal Centre".
The minister assured them in a letter that it would have "minimal impact on the local communities" and could deliver about 500 new jobs to the area.
Mr Lamb said there would be concerns from the local residents about using Coltishall for such a centres, but it would be wrong to discount the potential of 500 jobs at government, rather than local, wages.
He said the Home Office 11th hour intervention was also symptomatic of a "chaotic" government department, and thought that sites nearer a major port or airport, where deportees would leave, would be more suitable.
Mr Simpson said the move was a "bolt out of the blue" which would "open a Pandora's box".
The timing of the move was also tagged "unhelpful" by David Hayman, co-ordinator of a Coltishall task force aimed at promoting redevelopment of the base, but he said it would be wrong to "throw it out of court".
NCADC