The Bell Hotel in Epping is at the centre of a bid by its owner, Somani Hotels Limited, to appeal a High Court ruling that ordered the site to stop housing asylum seekers by 12 September. The injunction was granted on 19 August by Mr Justice Eyre, who said the council had not definitively shown a planning breach but that the claimant’s case was strong enough to justify the order.

Court listings indicate the appeal will be heard at the Court of Appeal on Thursday. The Home Office is listed to appeal at the same hearing and to challenge the judge’s decision not to allow its intervention in the case.

The Bell Hotel has been the focus of protests in recent weeks after a local resident was charged with sexual offences. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 41, denies five charges, including three counts of sexual assault, one of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one of harassment without violence. His trial began at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court and is due to finish at Colchester Magistrates’ Court. The council argued the site’s asylum seeker housing created a very serious problem, while Somani Hotels said the injunction would cause hardship for asylum seekers. After the injunction was granted, both sides said they would take the case to the Court of Appeal. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the government aims to close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, in a managed and orderly way.