Hotel blocked from housing asylum seekers after violent protests erupt

Epping Forest District Council has been succesful in blocking migrants from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping following a series of violent protests which left at least eight officers injured

A council has been successful in its bid to temporarily block asylum seekers from being housed at an Essex hotel.

Epping Forest District Council has been granted a temporary High Court injunction to block migrants from being accommodated at the Bell Hotel in Epping after protests erupted at the site when an asylum seeker - who was housed at the hotel - was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

At a hearing on Friday, barristers for the council claimed Somani Hotels, which owns the building, breached planning rules as the site is not being used for its intended purpose as a hotel, and that the situation "could not be much worse". The council had argued it wanted the restrictions in place before the school summer holidays ended.

Barristers for the hotel company said the "draconian" move would cause "hardship" for those inside the hotel, and that "political views" were not grounds for an injunction to be granted. They also said contracts to house asylum seekers were a "financial lifeline" for the hotel, which was only 1% full in August 2022, when it was open to paying customers.

Chris Whitbread, the leader of Epping Forest District Council, said: “I am delighted. This is great news for our residents. The last few weeks have placed an intolerable strain on our community but today we have some great news."

He added: “This is not the end of the matter. Having obtained an interim provision the next stage is for the council to return to the court and seek a permanent injunction.

"Home Office policy ignores the issues and concerns of local residents that the council represents. Today we have made a step towards redressing the imbalance and showing that local people do have some say, whatever the Home Office thinks.”

While shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the injunction as “a moment of relief for the people of Epping”. The Conservative MP said: “Residents should never have had to fight their own Government just to feel safe in their own town.

“Local residents have every right to feel safe in their own streets and every right to object when their community is treated as a dumping ground.” Taking a swipe at Labour, he accused them of “tearing up the deterrents the Conservatives put in place” and added: “The Conservatives will remove all illegal arrivals immediately and put a proper deterrent in place so that towns like Epping are never put in this position again.”

Mr Justice Eyre ruled on the decision at 2pm on Tuesday. At the end of the hearing last week, he ordered that Somani Hotels could not "accept any new applications" from asylum seekers to stay at the site until he had given a decision.

Piers Riley-Smith, for Somani Hotels, said that "disagreement with Government policy" did not justify a "draconian" injunction and that there would be "hardship" caused to the company and those housed at the hotel.

He added: "It is clear that recent protests have expanded far beyond the local community and have gone into concerns about wider ideological and political issues from those outside the community. Those particular ideological, non-community concerns are not relevant to planning."

Following the decision, Enver Solomon, chief executive of Refugee Council, said: “Everyone agrees that hotels are the wrong answer. They cost the taxpayer billions, trap people in limbo and are flashpoints in communities.

“Through our frontline work, we see how protests and hostility leave people who have fled war and persecution feeling terrified and targeted in the very places they are forced to live. This makes an already traumatising situation worse and prevents people from feeling safe.

“Instead of using costly hotels, the Government should partner with local councils to provide safe, cost-effective accommodation within communities. But ultimately, the only way to end hotel use for good is to resolve asylum applications quickly and accurately so people can either rebuild their lives here or return home with dignity.

“This will cut costs and allow refugees to integrate into their new communities, contribute, and play their part in Britain.” The hotel was the focal point of a series of protests after Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with trying to kiss a teenage girl.

Kebatu, who was housed at the hotel at the time of the incident, denies the allegations and is due to stand trial later this month. A second man who resides at the hotel, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, has separately been charged with seven offences, while several other men have been charged over disorder outside the hotel.

On Thursday night, eight officers were injured during altercations between protesters and police, with those hurt sustaining injuries to their hands as well as cuts and grazes. A video circulating on social media on the same evening showed a police vehicle driving towards a number of protesters and appearing to collide with at least one person.

Commenting on the footage, a spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police told the Mirror: "Met officers attended Epping, Essex on the evening of Thursday, 17 July, following a request by Essex Police to support with an ongoing protest and counter-protest.

"On arrival, officers were met with significant hostility from protestors, with police vehicles damaged and officers threatened with violence. During their attendance, officers attempted to leave the immediate area due to safety concerns and were subsequently blocked in by the group of protestors using barriers. During this, a police van made contact with one of the protesters."