A first group of asylum seekers has been moved into a former military camp in East Sussex, the Home Office has confirmed, with further protests and legal challenges expected. Twenty-seven men arrived at Crowborough training camp in the early hours of Thursday, a number due to increase to 500 over several months.
The site is one of two military camps identified by ministers to house 900 people, the other being in Inverness. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the move was part of a plan to relocate asylum seekers out of hotels and into large-scale accommodation, adding: "Crowborough is just the start. I will bring forward site after site until every asylum hotel is closed."
Campaigners opposed to the decision have urged Wealden District Council to issue a stop notice to halt the move. Crowborough Shield, which has launched a legal challenge, claims the Home Office improperly used emergency powers to bypass planning law. The council leader, James Partridge, said the immigration minister, Alex Norris, had confirmed the plan, but that the council was reviewing whether to bring its own legal action.
Home Office figures show the number of asylum seekers in hotels rose by 13% to 36,273 at the end of September. More than 400 hotels were opened under the previous government at a cost of £9 million a day, with just under 200 still in use. The transfer to Crowborough was delayed from December to January to ensure safety, following a legionella incident on the Bibby Stockholm barge.
The Home Office said the accommodation has 24/7 security, CCTV and strict sign-in processes, with residents undergoing health and police checks before arrival. The new arrivals are expected to be recent migrants, typically crossing the Channel in small boats.
Hundreds have protested in Crowborough each weekend, and campaigners have raised almost £100,000 for legal action. Conservative MP Nus Ghani described the Home Office's lack of transparency as "shameful", while Crowborough Shield leader Kim Bailey accused the department of using "Q class" permitted development rights to bypass normal planning permissions.
