Court weighs injunction against Bell hotel asylum housing

A council seeks an urgent court order to stop housing asylum seekers at the Bell hotel in Epping over safety and planning concerns raised by protests.

Judge urged to shut down Bell hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping

The Epping district council has asked High Court judge Mr Justice Eyre for an urgent injunction to stop the Bell hotel from housing asylum seekers. The move follows protests linked to two separate sexual assault charges against asylum seekers and a claim that the site is no longer used as a hotel, which council lawyers say breaches planning rules.

The hotel owners counter that the planning issue should be handled through normal enforcement channels and that the injunction would amount to punishing the site for protests rather than addressing a concrete planning breach. They noted that asylum seekers had been housed there for about 18 months without incident until recently.

Judge Eyre reserved judgment until next Tuesday and ordered the hotel not to take in any new asylum seekers before then.

This case lays bare a tension at the heart of asylum policy. Local fears about safety collide with a national responsibility to provide shelter and due process for vulnerable people. A planning argument becomes a flashpoint when protests amplify concerns and shape public opinion. Whatever the outcome, the ruling will signal how far councils can act to regulate housing sites without derailing humanitarian duties or inviting wider political backlash.

Highlights

The path forward will shape how communities respond to future proposals for asylum housing.