Overview
- Epping Forest District Council’s application for a permanent injunction was dismissed by Mr Justice Tim Mould, allowing accommodation at the Bell Hotel to continue.
- The ruling accepted there may be a planning breach but found it was not flagrant and that conventional enforcement routes had not been pursued.
- The judge concluded the planning and environmental harm was limited and emphasized that public order concerns arising from protests should be managed by police.
- He said there was no evidential basis to claim asylum seekers as a group are more prone to crime or anti‑social behavior, and noted no proven strain on local services.
- The decision follows the Court of Appeal’s August reversal of an earlier temporary injunction, and came after the Home Office argued that losing hotel bedspaces would hinder fulfillment of statutory obligations.