Prison earmarked as migrant camp to become housing

A former prison site once earmarked for asylum seeker accommodation will be redeveloped for housing, the government confirmed.

Homes England said the Home Office had officially transferred the HMP Northeye site in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex to the housing agency.

The previous government faced scrutiny for spending over £15m to buy the site in 2023 - more than twice what the seller paid the year before.

Homes England chief executive Amy Rees said the agency wanted to work with the local community to "help deliver new homes that meet local needs and support Bexhill's future".

The agency said it would begin site maintenance while it developed proposals for the site.

Rees said: "The transfer of the Northeye site represents not only a significant local milestone but also a clear example of Homes England's national strategy in action.

"This transfer means we can now start work to bring the former Northeye site back into use."

Bexhill and Battle MP Kieran Mullan told the BBC the transfer would "be a big relief, not just for residents on the estate immediately adjacent but for residents in Bexhill and the wider area".

Residents thought the site would otherwise be left derelict so it was "better to put it to some use", he said.

Bexhill resident Jeff Newnham, who had campaigned against the Home Office plans, said the announcement was "fantastic".

The community was previously divided over the site, he said, but "this is such a great opportunity to bring the community back together again".

Rother District Council has proposed allocating the site for 384 homes in its draft local plan.

The government abandoned plans to use the Northeye land for asylum seeker accommodation in December 2024.

A report from the National Audit Office that year found the Home Office had "cut corners" and "made poor decisions", while under pressure to stop housing migrants in hotels.

The Public Accounts Committee of MPs later criticised a "dysfunctional culture" at the Home Office where value for money was "a secondary concern".

Mullan told the BBC that Northeye was "not an appropriate site" for asylum seekers.

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