Three senior judges will rule on whether to overturn a temporary injunction blocking asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping. Somani Hotels, owner of the Bell Hotel, and the Home Office are challenging a High Court ruling that would stop 138 asylum seekers being housed there beyond September 12. The judges said they would aim to hand down judgment at 2pm the following day and would notify in advance if that proved impractical. Essex Police described a peaceful demonstration with a designated protest area and denied claims protesters tried to storm the hotel. Mr Justice Eyre previously granted Epping Forest District Council an interim injunction after alleging planning breaches.
Somani Hotels, which owns the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, and the Home Office are seeking to challenge a High Court ruling that will stop 138 asylum seekers from being housed there beyond September 12.
Essex Police said there was a peaceful demonstration outside the hotel from around 5pm on Thursday, with a group marching to a local school before a section returned to the original protest site. An order was in place giving officers the power to direct people to remove face coverings or face arrest, while there was also a designated area for the protest. A small section of the group which had returned to the designated site walked out of the that area.
At the end of a hearing on Thursday, Lord Justice Bean, sitting with Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb, said that they would hand down their judgment on Friday afternoon. He said: Because of the great urgency of this matter, we will aim to give judgment at 2pm tomorrow. He continued: If it proves impractical for us to meet the deadline, we will let people know in advance.
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