A government minister has defended plans to reopen the former RAF base at Linton-on-Ouse as an asylum centre.
Alex Norris, minister of state for border security and asylum, told the House of Commons on Monday that officials were “looking seriously” at using the site – but he said no final decision had been made.
The Labour minister was speaking after Sir Alec Shelbrooke, Conservative MP for Wetherby and Easingwold, warned that the centre would overwhelm the rural village and questioned whether the site’s infrastructure could cope.
The MP said a similar proposal had been rejected in 2022 on technical grounds and the location remained unsuitable.
Sir Alec said local residents had raised concerns over electricity supply, sewage capacity, highways, healthcare provision and the planning process.
He told the Commons: “Three times the local population would be put into the area, with no means to secure people within that site.
“They could roam into the village, which has no amenities and does not have a village shop. The area would be overwhelmed.”
The MP questioned whether industrial generators would be needed after previous concerns about electricity capacity and asked whether sewage infrastructure would be sufficient, noting Yorkshire Water had previously invested millions of pounds upgrading local treatment works.
He also raised concerns about roads with weight-restricted bridges, pressure on NHS services and reports that local firms had been approached to tender for work at the site.
Sir Alec said he had been told on “good authority” that local companies had already been asked to tender for work to get the former base ready for migrants.
He also asked the minister whether any planning application would ultimately be decided by North Yorkshire Council or would the government get the final say.
He added: “The Government do not know what they are doing. They have not thought it through, and they have not had the decency to consult local people about it.”
In response, Mr Norris said the government was being transparent by openly confirming it was actively assessing the site before making a final decision.
He said: “The final decision is not made yet, but we are looking. That is a better way to do it.”
Addressing concerns about asylum seekers leaving the site, Mr Norris said the government had successfully minimised impacts at other accommodation centres.
He added: “By the provision of activities and of transport, we can ensure the lightest local impact possible. That would be our commitment for these sites, too.
“We are well aware of the history, which transcends this Government—it goes back to the previous Government—but we would not be taking forward this site if we did not think we had viable answers. Nevertheless, it is only when we get on site and start turning over the rocks, as it were, that we can get to a final point on viability. That is the process we are doing here.”
He also sought to reassure residents over healthcare, saying it was not the government’s intention for the site to place additional pressure on local NHS services.
“What we have been able to do elsewhere is to have ordinary healthcare provided for on-site to ensure that there is not an impact on the local community,” he said.
