A general view of RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. Ministers are examining using military bases to hous (Image: PA)
The £122 million plan to turn the historic RAF Scampton – former home of the Dambusters – into an asylum camp has been axed after the Labour Government ruled it offered poor value for money. West Lindsey District Council unanimously voted on Monday to press ahead with its own bid to buy the 800-acre Lincolnshire site from the Home Office and transform it into a £300 million aerospace and heritage hub.
The decision marks the end of a bitter row that began under the previous Conservative Government, which spent nearly £50 million preparing the base to house migrants as part of efforts to cut the £8 million-a-day hotel bill for 51,000 asylum seekers. Labour inherited the scheme but confirmed in September 2024 that it would not proceed.
Council leader Cllr Jackie Brockway said the vote reinforced the authority’s long-term vision, reported The Telegraph.
She explained: “The council has once again unanimously agreed to make a bid for the former RAF Scampton site from the Home Office.
“This is a position we have consistently supported because we have always recognised the significant opportunity this site presents for our district and beyond.”
She said: “Our vision for RAF Scampton has not changed. We believe regeneration of the site will create jobs, attract investment and bring visitors to the area, delivering lasting economic and community benefits.
“Working in partnership with Scampton Holdings Limited, we remain committed to securing a landmark scheme that protects the site’s heritage while unlocking its potential.”
The base, which closed in 2023, is internationally famous as the birthplace of 617 Squadron, the Dambusters. In 1943, 19 Lancaster bombers took off from Scampton for the audacious raid on Germany’s Ruhr dams using Barnes Wallis’s “bouncing bombs”.
It was also home to the Red Arrows for 39 years until their move to RAF Waddington.
Under the council’s plans, drawn up with development partner Scampton Holdings Limited, the site will remain an operational airfield while new commercial aerospace activity, education, skills training and tourism are developed.
More than 3,600 jobs are forecast, including over 800 in high-value defence and aerospace roles, plus a £65 million boost to local tourism from 300,000 annual visitors and a new air show.
The council says the scheme will deliver a £417 million uplift in community well-being, land value and heritage preservation while safeguarding the legacy of one of Britain’s most storied wartime airfields.
The about-turn comes after months of opposition from historians, including Sir Antony Beevor, Sir Max Hastings and Dan Snow, who warned that turning the site into a migrant camp would amount to a “scandalous desecration”.
With the asylum plan now scrapped, the council is confident its regeneration bid will secure a sustainable future for the landmark base that once helped save Britain.
