MoD confirms 3 month eviction notices for tenants at historic RAF Henlow scrapped

Private renters on the historic RAF Henlow site have been given a stay of eviction after fierce campaigning.

The tenants on the site, which officially closed in 2023, were given three months notice despite being previously assured they had 12 months.

Alistair Strathern, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, has welcomed the confirmation from the Ministry of Defence. His office has been in contact with multiple residents, including a veteran, who, despite having in writing a guaranteed 12-month notice to quit would be given, were told to leave within three months.

He said the effort to give the residents the minimum 12-month notice that was promised to them by the agent, included writing to the Defence Minister, James Cartlidge MP, and multiple departments at Central Bedfordshire Council.

Last week the MOD confirmed the notices to quit had been extended to 12 months.

Mr Strathern said: “I was very pleased to get confirmation from the MoD that the residents in RAF Henlow would get the 12-month guarantee they deserve and not be forced out of their homes in less than three months.

“I am happy to see that the Minister listened to my calls and reversed this short-sighted decision, to give families there some much-needed certainty.

"This is about doing the decent thing and sticking to the promises made to tenants at Henlow Camp, which I'm pleased to see they now have.

“Myself and the rest of the team will continue to work with the affected residents to ensure their rights are maintained.”

Earlier this year Central Bedfordshire Council approved funding to house Afghan refugees in disused properties at the base after they risked their lives serving alongside the UK Armed Forces and Government. Fifteen Afghan refugee families are to be housed for three years in vacant Ministry of Defence (MoD) properties.

RAF Henlow, which opened in 1918, had been planned for closure in 2020 – but in 2019 that was changed. In 2023 Stondon Parish Council was told the MOD will continue to work closely with Central Bedfordshire Council, and other stakeholders, over plans on how the site could be developed after 2026.