First Asylum Seekers Moved Into Crowborough Army Camp
The first group of asylum seekers has been moved into a former military training site in East Sussex, marking the start of the government’s plan to move people out of hotels and into large-scale accommodation.
The Home Office confirmed that 27 single men have been taken to Crowborough army camp, with numbers expected to rise to more than 500 in the coming weeks. People will stay at the site for up to three months while their asylum claims are processed, and local councillors say they have been told the camp will be used for around a year.
Ministers say the move is part of their drive to shut down asylum hotels, which they argue are expensive and unpopular with communities. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “Crowborough is just the start. I will bring forward site after site until every asylum hotel is closed and returned to local communities.”
The decision has sparked anger locally, with protests taking place since the plans were first announced last year. Wealden District Council leader James Partridge said the Home Office has pushed ahead despite strong objections from the council.
“The minister hasn't listened to any of this,” he said, adding that the council has asked its lawyers to look at whether the decision can be challenged in court. A separate crowdfunder set up by residents has already raised tens of thousands of pounds to support legal action.
While critical of the move, Partridge has urged residents to remain calm. “We do need to make the best of it,” he said, calling on the community to come together in the same way it did when Afghan families and Ukrainian refugees arrived. He acknowledged that many people were feeling “angry, frightened and worried”.
Crowborough Town Council has also raised concerns, saying the camp is not a suitable location and that housing hundreds of adult men in a rural town is disproportionate. The council said it had not been consulted on community impact assessments.
Opposition politicians have seized on the issue, with Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp accusing the government of forcing through the plan at the expense of local safety and military training. He claimed the camp is used by thousands of army and RAF cadets each year and warned of risks to the community.
The use of large sites has been controversial before. The government has previously relied on places like the Bibby Stockholm barge and RAF Wethersfield, while official audits have suggested that big accommodation sites can sometimes cost more than hotels.
Despite the backlash, the Home Office has signalled it will press ahead, confirming that other former military sites, including Cameron barracks in Inverness, will also be used as it looks to end reliance on asylum hotels by the end of the parliament.
