Expansion of Crowborough asylum housing criticised

Government plans to extend the use of a former military site in Crowborough to house asylum seekers until 2030 have been described as "very, very disappointing".

The Home Office is expanding the use of former military sites, with three new locations under discussion that together could accommodate about 3,750 people.

Wealden District Council leader Rachel Millward said the extension of Crowborough Army Camp would be "incredibly disappointing" and warned it could increase "tension" and "disruption to daily life".

The government said the move would reduce costs and reliance on hotels, with minister Alex Norris saying: "We promised to close every asylum hotel and hand them back to communities."

Millward said many residents were "fed up of all this noise, the tension, the protests" and "just want daily life to return".

She told BBC Radio Sussex a "lack of transparency" from the Home Office had fuelled fear and misinformation in the community.

She added that "large scale sites are not the answer" and said the approach risked increasing tensions further.

Campaign group Crowborough Shield has been given permission for a High Court judicial review to halt the plans.

It is expected to take place before the end of July.

Chair Kim Bailey said: "We've known right from the off that this was never going to be for 12 months."

She questioned the policy's impact, saying: "Where's the evidence that this is actually going to deter people from coming?"

She thinks the council should be pushing back harder on the government: "The leaders have just been pushed around by the Home Office."

Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani said the announcement was "devastating for the community" and criticised a lack of engagement.

She said: "We cannot be passive bystanders anymore" and called for stronger action to challenge the plans.

Asked why it would not back legal action, Wealden District Council previously told BBC Radio Sussex: "We can't spend public money like that when we know we wouldn't win."

Crowborough Town Council said it was "extremely disappointed", adding that Home Office officials had previously given "unequivocal denials" in late 2025 that the site would be used for longer than a year.

The council said it was only informed of the proposal "at the end of the day yesterday", leaving little time to consider the impact on residents.

The council warned a further four years of use could affect local services, infrastructure and community wellbeing.

It added that it was seeking urgent talks with the Home Office and Wealden District Council over the plans and called for "meaningful engagement" with residents.

The announcement comes as 20 more asylum hotels have been closed nationwide.

It means the number in use has more than halved from a peak of about 400, according to government figures.

The planned extension of sites including Crowborough and expansion at Wethersfield remains subject to planning approval and further assessments.

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