ASYLUM-seekers can continue to be housed at a hotel that became a flashpoint for anti-migrant protests this summer, the High Court ruled today.

Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) were granted a temporary injunction earlier this year following protests outside the Bell Hotel in Essex.

The Home Office told the court that the claim that the owner Somani Hotels breached planning rules over the permitted use of the hotel was “misconceived.”

The Court of Appeal overturned the injunction and today Mr Justice Mould dismissed a subsequent application for a permanent injunction by EFDC.

He said that the current use of the hotel “as contingency accommodation for asylum-seekers constitutes a material change in the use of those premises, which requires planning permission.

“Nevertheless, I have not been persuaded that an injunction is a commensurate response to that postulated breach of planning control.

“The breach is far from being flagrant. Conventional methods of enforcement have not been taken.”

He said the continuing need for asylum hotels in order for the Home Secretary “to discharge her statutory responsibilities is a significant counterbalancing factor.”

Protests erupted after an asylum-seeker housed at the site was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Epping in July.

Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon urged ministers to take a different approach towards ensuring all hotels are closed next year and described plans to house people in military sites as “unsuitable, isolating” and “expensive.”

Care4Calais CEO Steve Smith said: “Today’s judgement needs to bring an end to this sorry state of affairs.”

The Home Office said that it was working to close every asylum hotel “as swiftly as possible.”