Epping Forest District Council has launched a High Court bid to close The Bell Hotel in Epping, which has been used to house asylum seekers for several weeks, following escalating local protests and political pressure.
Legal documents submitted to the High Court in London on Tuesday warn of “the clear risk of further escalating community tensions and urgency of the need for the present situation to be brought under control.”
The council’s application argues that the placement of asylum seekers in the hotel is “not akin to use as a hotel” and is therefore not permitted under existing planning rules. If the injunction is granted, a ban on housing migrants at the premises could come into force within 14 days.
Political and Public Pressure Mounts
The move follows weeks of protests outside the hotel, with five demonstrations taking place in the past month. Essex Police have had to draft in additional officers from other forces to manage the gatherings.
At a meeting on 24 July, councillors voted unanimously to demand that the Home Office close the hotel immediately. They also called for the phased closure of another migrant accommodation site in North Weald Bassett.
Council leader Chris Whitbread said:
“The current situation cannot go on. If The Bell Hotel was a nightclub, we could have closed it down long ago.
There are five schools and a residential care home nearby. The use of the premises for asylum seekers poses a clear risk of further escalating community tensions and irreparable harm to the local community.”
The council says it has yet to receive a substantive response from central government despite repeated appeals from Whitbread, local MPs, Essex County Council leader Kevin Bentley, and Police and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst.
Protests Sparked by Criminal Case
The protests intensified after an asylum seeker living at the hotel, Hadush Kebatu, 41, from Ethiopia, was charged with multiple sex offences. He denies the charges and is due to stand trial later this month.
Placards carried by demonstrators have read “No more silence – Government fail – we fight” and “Protect our community.”
Whitbread warned that tensions may worsen when the new school year begins in September.
“We are doing this on behalf of our local community. We have been left with no choice because central government is not listening,” he said.
