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ARTICLE · 28 AUGUST 2025

When Is A Hotel Not A Hotel?

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
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Whilst the political implications of last week's interim injunction against housing asylum seekers in a hotel in Epping are considerable, is it a significant development in planning law terms?

United KingdomReal Estate and Construction
Matthew White
Matthew White
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Whilst the political implications of last week's interim injunction against housing asylum seekers in a hotel in Epping are considerable, is it a significant development in planning law terms?

When is a hotel not a hotel?That is the existential planning law question that sits behind the recent media frenzy about the use of hotels by asylum seekers.Planning lawyers may well be mystified why the interim injunction preventing the use of the Bell Hotel in Epping by asylum seekers has received so much attention. Media coverage has largely failed to mention that the courts have previously granted several such interim injunctions in relation to other hotels, dating back to at least 2022 - notably under the previous government.

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