09 November 2007
Costs of £28m for a controversial asylum centre that was never built could have been reduced through better Home Office planning, the National Audit Office has said.
The centre in Bicester, Oxfordshire, was to house a backlog of asylum seekers. It took more than two years to obtain planning permission but the project was cancelled in June 2005 after applications fell and assessment processes were speeded up.
The NAO said that the emerging picture that the centre would not offer value for money 'could have potentially been foreseen and costs reduced had the Home Office worked in a more co-ordinated way'.
The centre had met with strong local opposition when it was announced in May 2002.
Auditor general Sir John Bourn said: 'Bicester highlights the need for departments to identify the impact of planning delays on cost and delivery.'
Reacting to the report, Lin Homer, chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency, said fewer applications and quicker turnaround times had 'resulted in significant savings for the UK taxpayer'.
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