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Suffolk Police commissioner will fight RAF Barnham asylum plan

A police and crime commissioner (PCC) said he would fight government plans to turn a former RAF base into accommodation for asylum seekers.

Suffolk and Norfolk police currently lease RAF Barnham near Thetford for specialist training programmes, and had made plans to buy the site.

Speaking at the Conservative party conference, Suffolk’s PCC Tim Passmore told the BBC: “I was astonished when we suddenly heard from the Home Office they wanted to use it as an asylum centre.”

The Ministry of Defence said: “We have been engaging regularly with Suffolk Police and notice has been provided in line with the existing arrangements.”

The Home Office has been approached for comment. On its website, it said it was carrying out “routine exploratory work to understand the site’s potential”, and any proposals would have to be submitted for planning permission, external.

“We were looking to purchase the site because there are opportunities for things like driver training, dog training, firearms, possibly on a regional basis,” said Passmore.

He said he would oppose any move to cancel their lease, “because we’ve invested a lot of taxpayers’ money in the facility”.

“We have big plans, including things like document and artefact storage – at the moment we’re spending money storing them elsewhere,” he said.


BBC News

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