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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Diane Taylor

Asylum seekers moved out of ex-RAF site in Essex after safety risks found

RAF Home Office Essex Wethersfield
Aerial view of blocks of accommodation on the Wethersfield site
The first asylum seekers moved on to the Wethersfield site last July. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Asylum seekers staying at a former RAF airfield that is used as the Home Office’s largest mass accommodation site were moved out after safety risks were identified including radiological contamination and unexploded ordnance.

Planning permission for the Home Office to use the Wethersfield airfield site in Essex for a three-year period was obtained last month with the granting of a special development order (SDO), circumventing the usual route for obtaining planning permission from a council.

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