Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill: planning permission for migrant developments to be overridden

Declared to be used ‘sparingly’, the new provisions in the Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill will allow for the Secretary of State to override normal planning permissions for ‘urgent’ national developments.  

Last week the UK government announced that ministers will now be able to convert disused military basis and other crown properties – establishments that belong to the royal monarch – into mass migrant camps without any say from local residents, communities or authorities.

The proposed changes have been claimed to make it quicker for the Home Office to repurpose government land to accommodate asylum seekers. Creating fast accommodation for these individuals will be welcomed as figures displayed in the year ending September 2022, the UK received over 72,000 asylum applications.

However, these applications came from directly from those who wanted to flee their country – not considering the number of people who have crossed the sea without any warning.

The new plan will aid ministers as they try to find at least 25,000 places for migrants from a list of disused crown properties and is designed to prevent lengthy and expensive legal challenges scuppering efforts to move asylum seekers out of hotels.

Although the proposal has not been accepted by everybody as local MPs, campaigners and residency groups will no longer get a say on who is moved into their local area. Campaigners have warned that failing to consult local authorities and community groups would further bolster rising far-right activity.

However, in an attempt to reassure local council members a spokesperson from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said: ‘We expect this will be used sparingly and only when there is an urgent need, and it is in the wider public interest. As with all planning decisions, each application will be considered on its own merit, regardless of who the applicant is.’

The bill is currently undergoing approval in the House of Lords, with the most recent session having took place yesterday.

Image: Jametlene Reskp