The High Court ruling on a hotel being used to house migrants in Epping Forest has national consequences. Without urgent action by government, thousands risk being left in limbo and local authorities will find they have worse problems to contend with.

The unassuming Bell Hotel in Epping Forest is an unlikely setting for a national debate. Yet when the High Court ruled that its use as asylum accommodation was “not a permitted use”, the reverberations spread far beyond one corner of Essex. What is essentially a technical planning dispute has the potential to significantly impact the lives of thousands (both the migrants it houses and the wider communities), significantly alter policy and affect property up and down the country.

Already, more than 80 local authorities are reported to be exp

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