Wethersfield Asylum Reception Centre to increase capacity

The Home Office has informed Braintree District Council it plans to increase the capacity of Wethersfield Asylum Reception Centre to 1,245 beds.

The centre started at a capacity of 580 before being increased to 800, its standard operational limit.

A statement on Braintree District Council’s website says the authority “feels the former airbase is not a suitable location for a large-scale asylum accommodation centre”.

Out of the extra 445 spaces at the site, it is believed the first of the additional beds could potentially be in use from Thursday.

Aerial view - Wethersfield Asylum Reception Centre (Image: PA) Councillor Graham Butland, leader of Braintree District Council, said: “At the earliest opportunity, I updated the council that the Home Office was considering this option for Wethersfield due to record small boat arrivals.

“We now have had confirmation of the plans, along with more details on how this would operate, which we are now sharing. 

“We will continue to monitor the situation and, along with other partners, hold the Home Office to account to ensure that the site runs safely alongside the local community.”

The inflow of new asylum seekers will be in gradual increments and will still come from “small boat arrivals”, the council website says.

Council leader - Councillor Graham Butland (Image: Braintree Council) Wethersfield Asylum Reception Centre previously only accepted no more than 60 people per week.

Braintree District Council says the Home Office has worked with on-site providers to ready the centre for a “steady and safe increase” of asylum seeker.

The Home Office has stated there are no plans to exceed 1,245 but under the conditions of the Special Development Order, has the power to house up to 1,700 men at Wethersfield.  

The intake of asylum seekers may raise to 100 people a week, and the Home Office intends to return to the regular occupancy levels in October.

Site - Wethersfield Asylum Reception Centre (Image: Braintree District Council) A detailed schedule of activity for the planned drawdown will be announced by the Home Office ahead of that time. 

Men will continue to be sent onto dispersed accommodation outside of the Braintree district area after a maximum of nine months on site. 

In a question and answer section on the council's website, it says the authority has "consistently opposed the change of use for Wethersfield Airfield through legal challenges in the High Court and through the Court of Appeal which proved unsuccessful".

Mr Butland added: “This does not change what we have been saying for more than two years since we first learnt of the Home Office’s plans.

“This disused airbase in a very rural area does not have the infrastructure to host asylum seekers on such a large scale.”