Residents are relieved to hear that the Home Office have finally abandoned plans to use the Northeye site to accommodate asylum seekers. The decision was announced on Monday in advance of a Public Accounts Committee Inquiry into the purchase of the site for £15 million. No To Northeye campaign leader Nigel Jacklin attended the Inquiry and provided this report.
The decision to abandon use of the site was down to two main factors. Firstly the site could not be made operational as quickly as the previous government wanted and secondly a move away from the use of large sites by the new government. The Home Office said they 'probably won't ever buy another Scampton, Wethersfield or Northeye.' [16.29 in video] The site will now go on the Government Development Land Database for eight weeks during which other departments can express an interest in the site. It can then go on to the open market.
The Home Office said they had learnt over 1,000 lessons from their work on Northeye and the other pathfinder sites. As a result of this they will consult with local groups in the future and have employed staff to do so on smaller sites. Jacklin regards this as a major victory for local people across the UK.
The Home Office admitted it may not be able to recover what they paid for the site and came in for significant criticism for their purchase process. This included payment of a penalty for taking longer than six weeks to complete on the purchase through an unusual clause agreed by an external adviser. The committee Chair asked for the name of the adviser; this will be provided privately.
The Home Office withheld part of the purchase price to cover remediation for contamination. They are currently in a dispute with the vendor as to the exact amount due and may need to enter into legal proceedings to agree this.
Jacklin commented: this is a huge relief for Bexhill and a testament to all those who stood up and said 'No.' People power won the day.