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Epping forest District council has secured a temporary injunction to halt the housing of asylum seekers at The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. The High Court judge rejected a government attempt to delay the council’s application.
Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary injunction on Tuesday, mandating that the hotel must cease housing asylum seekers by September 12. Initially, the injunction demanded the hotel be cleared within 14 days.
Police officers ahead of a exhibition outside The Bell Hotel in July.
Somani hotels Limited, the owner of The Bell Hotel, stated its intention to appeal.Its barrister, Piers Riley-Smith, argued that the ruling could establish a precedent impacting the broader strategy for housing asylum seekers in hotels.
“The judge turned down the group’s request, saying that he was ‘not persuaded there is such a compelling reason’,” a court official noted.
Epping forest District Council leader, Councillor Chris Whitbread, expressed delight at the decision, calling it “great news for our residents.” He noted the “intolerable strain” on local people but sees “a chink of light at the end of the tunnel.” Though, he cautioned that this is “not the end of the matter” and the council will seek a permanent injunction.
File pic.
Riley-Smith also stated that the hotel housed migrants from May 2020 to March 2021 and again from October 2022 to April 2024. He noted that no formal enforcement action was taken by the council during these periods. Asylum seekers were slated to be placed there again in April 2025, a move for which a planning application
