To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish a statement of community involvement following the consultation on extending planning permission for the accommodation facility at Napier Barracks.
Answered on
6 December 2022
The United Kingdom has a statutory obligation to provide support and accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. The record numbers of individuals illegally crossing the Channel has meant the asylum acommodation system is under immense pressure. Ongoing use of Napier and the development of new accommodation models, are vital to our ability to continue to meet the ongoing demand to accommodate destitute asylum seekers.
To ensure that this much-needed facility continues to provide accommodation, officials prepared a planning proposal extending our use of Napier until 2025, and on 27 August 2021 we laid a Special Development Order (SDO) which came into effect on 21 September 2021. A statement of community involvement will not be produced as it is not a requirement of the Special Development Order; however, we have sought to engage with the local community through correspondence and the provision of relevant information on the gov.uk website.