Epping Forest District Council has launched legal action to close the Bell Hotel in Epping to stop it from being used to house asylum seekers. The news comes after the hotel became the centre of huge protests this summer after the alleged sexual assault of a local girl by asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, who denied the charge at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court and will stand trial in August.
Now, the Council has submitted an interim injunction application against the hotel’s owners, seeking to prevent any further asylum seekers from being accommodated at the Bell Hotel until a proper planning application for a change of use is submitted and decided.
The Council has consistently opposed the use of the Bell Hotel for asylum accommodation and has repeatedly called for its closure. It said that recent serious incidents have made the situation untenable and said that, despite significant local concerns and fears, the Government has failed to address these issues.
Cllr Holly Whitbread, whose council ward covers the area where the Bell Hotel is located in Epping, brought a motion to full council demanding the immediate and permanent closure of the hotel. The motion received unanimous cross-party support, highlighting strong local opposition to the hotel’s use as an all-male asylum centre, especially given its proximity to a school and residential homes.
Council Leader, Cllr Chris Whitbread, said: “Enough is enough. The Bell Hotel has caused serious disruption to our community and must close immediately. If this was within the council’s control, it would never have been reopened. We believe the hotel breaches planning regulations and is wholly unsuitable for housing asylum seekers. No more asylum seekers should be accommodated there. We are taking legal action against the private owners, who have no legal obligation to house asylum seekers.”
Cllr Whitbread added: “We are acting decisively on behalf of residents who are rightly concerned. We have tried to resolve this quietly with the Government, but they have ignored us. This is now a matter for the courts.”
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