Locals 'anxious' as asylum seekers move into army camp

Residents are "incredibly anxious" after the first asylum seekers were moved into a former military site in Crowborough, the local MP has said.

Nus Ghani said the concerns of residents were "legitimate and valid", after 27 men arrived at the camp this week.

She said that the army training site was "one of the most active in the South East", with 6,000 people training there in 2025, while some Crowborough residents told BBC Radio Sussex that it would be fine, if "controlled".

The government said the move was part of its "mission to end the use of expensive hotels", with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stating that "Crowborough is just the start".

The Home Office plans include scaling the site up to house 500 male asylum seekers.

Speaking on Thursday, Mahmood said: "I will bring forward site after site until every asylum hotel is closed and returned to local communities."

More than 400 hotels were opened under the previous government at a cost of £9m a day, according to the Home Office.

About 200 remain in use, with overall asylum costs down 15%, a Home Office spokesperson said.

Ghani said: "The level of investment needed to adapt the site to house the asylum seekers in Crowborough is no cheaper than putting them in a hotel."

Ghani said the Crowborough site was "wholly inappropriate" and confirmed she had invited representatives from the Home Office to prove how it was "safe, legal and complaint", after it was previously ruled out for use.

She said that there was "no consultation with Crowborough" from the Home Office and that the community of the town is "incredibly anxious".

"Crowborough has been really hospitable in the past with Ukrainians and Afghans, but this is different ball game," she said.

"Undocumented young men, arriving illegally on a site the community can't access, a site close to town. There's not much to do in the town."

On Thursday, Mahmood said that she would defend "vigorously" any legal challenges against moving asylum seekers into sites like Crowborough.

The Crowborough site has 24/7 security with CCTV and strict sign-in processes for residents, the Home Office added.

Lesley Bray, who has lived in Crowborough for 55 years, said she felt "slightly less secure", but added: "They've got to go somewhere."

"There's always going to be the odd one. But on the whole, they should be okay," she told BBC Radio Sussex.

Fellow resident Chris Matthews said he was fine with the situation, if it was "controlled and looked after".

"I'm hoping the government will keep everyone safe," he said.

"But I can understand why people are nervous. It's a lot of unknowns."

Wealden District Council leader James Partridge said housing asylum seekers at the Crowborough site was the wrong decision, adding the authority was considering a legal challenge.

He added: "Whilst we know a lot of people will be angry, frightened and worried about this, we're going to have to try and find a way to make the best of it and certainly not make matters worse.

"I hope everyone will come together in the way we did when the Afghan families and Ukrainian refugees arrived."

The military site was previously used to accommodate Afghan families evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021, according to the Home Office.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.