Changes to RAF Scampton as migrant camp preparations get under way

Signage around the former RAF base has been taken down following its closure on Friday, March 31, leaving the front gate bare.

The site’s monument to the Red Arrows has also been removed.

The Ministry of Defence first announced it would be closing the base in 2018 as part of cost-saving measures, moving Lincolnshire’s own aerobatics display team to RAF Waddington and deploying other personnel elsewhere.

A parade celebrating 106 years of history at RAF Scampton helped mark the occasion in September last year, exploring its pivotal role during war and peace in equal measure.

It has since been announced that the base will be used to house up to 2,000 migrants while they await processing.

In total there will be 3,700 men housed across RAF Scampton and another surplus military site in Wethersfield in Essex.

Physical works to make it suitable for such accommodation are set to begin in due course, although site investigation specialists have already been spotted on site.

The news was confirmed by immigration minister Robert Jenrick during a House of Commons speech, but has sparked outcry from residents as it has thrown a spanner into the gears of an ambitious £300 million heritage, tourism and enterprise project which promised them thousands of highly-skilled jobs.

Leaders labelled it a “landmark deal”, but there are now concerns over whether it will happen at all. Banners with the tagline ‘Save our Scampton’ have appeared across the area as a result.

West Lindsey Council is also looking at legal action against the Home Office as it says it remains committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing RAF Scampton for the long-term sustainable benefit of its communities.