Asylum seekers to be housed at Crowborough, East Sussex military site

(EAST SUSSEX (CROWBOROUGH) AND INVERNESS, SCOTLAND) The UK government plans to begin housing asylum seekers at two former military sites in East Sussex and the Scottish Highlands, moving the first people in by the end of next month as part of a push to end the use of hotels. The Home Office intends to place around 600 men at the Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex and about 300 men at Cameron Barracks in Inverness, a combined capacity of roughly 900 people. Officials say the approach is designed to cut costs and speed up placements as the system struggles with the strain of hotel use.

The plan, set out as of October 28, 2025, marks one of the most concrete steps yet toward meeting a central pledge by the Labour government to end hotel accommodation for people seeking asylum by 2029, amid pressure to move faster. The Prime Minister has expressed a desire to close all asylum hotels within a year. While those political targets sit in the background, the immediate change will be felt in two corners of the country: the quiet surrounding area near the Crowborough Training Camp and the historic Cameron Barracks site above Inverness, where local communities are bracing for activity that would arrive quickly and reshape how the government houses new arrivals.

For ministers, the case is straightforward. Hotels have been criticized for being expensive and inefficient, with rooms scattered across towns and cities and services difficult to coordinate. Centralized sites like Crowborough and Cameron Barracks could, in theory, make it easier to organize basic care, legal access, and transport. The Home Office describes the move as a necessary shift to address an accommodation crisis, with the Ministry of Defence helping to identify disused or underused sites that can be converted at pace. Officials are also exploring modular housing—prefabricated units that can be installed quickly—to expand capacity without relying on long-term hotel contracts.

But the plan is already drawing questions that the government will have to answer as people begin to move in. The use of military sites has previously prompted local concerns about safety, access to services, and legal risks if facilities are not adapted properly to house asylum seekers for extended periods. Some critics argue that refurbishing older buildings or installing temporary units could end up costing more than hotel rooms once security, healthcare, and transportation are factored in, undermining the core argument about savings. Others point out that the character of places like Cameron Barracks, with its historic buildings and distance from major services, may not be well suited to a population that needs quick access to legal advice and medical support.

At Crowborough Training Camp, the capacity of around 600 men would make it one of the largest individual sites for asylum accommodation in England if fully utilized. Local authorities and charities will be watching closely to see how onsite services are organized and how transportation offsite is handled. In Inverness, the plan to place roughly 300 men at Cameron Barracks raises similar questions, with campaigners likely to focus on the availability of GPs, mental health provision, and links to community groups. The Home Office has not set out detailed service plans in public, but it says it is working across departments, including with the Ministry of Defence, to finalize arrangements before arrivals begin.

The timeline is strikingly tight. Moving people into both Crowborough and Cameron Barracks by the end of next month suggests a rapid conversion process and quick decisions on who will be placed where. That pace is likely driven by the political target to close hotels, a goal ministers have repeatedly pointed to as both a cost issue and a matter of system control. The Labour government’s formal pledge to end hotel use by 2029 remains the official timeline, but there is clear pressure inside government to accelerate, and the Prime Minister’s wish to shut all hotels within a year adds urgency to decisions now being made about sites like these.

As with previous shifts in asylum housing policy, the human impact will be measured in the small details of daily life. Centralized sites can feel more secure and predictable for some people who have just arrived and need a stable setting to pursue their claims. For others, the isolation and regimented feel of a former military base can be difficult, especially for those who have fled conflict and trauma. The Crowborough Training Camp, by its nature, and Cameron Barracks, with its drill squares and imposing blocks, will be charged spaces for people who may associate such environments with danger. Service providers will be expected to set clear rules, ensure safe access to legal advice, and provide mental health support. How well that is done will matter more than the headline capacity figures.

The Home Office says that shifting away from hotels will, over time, reduce costs and deliver a system that is easier to manage, but the financial case will only become clear once the sites are running. If the cost of renovating buildings, adding security, and transporting residents to appointments rises above expectations, the argument that military sites are cheaper could become harder to defend. Critics have warned of legal risks if accommodation is found to be inadequate, and any challenge could slow the rollout to other locations. Those legal and financial pressures explain, in part, the government’s interest in modular housing: units that can be scaled up or down and moved if needed.

Local reactions to both the Crowborough Training Camp and Cameron Barracks plan will be closely watched. In places where large new accommodation sites are introduced quickly, councils and residents often worry about pressure on services and the logistics of sudden growth. Clear communication, especially around who will be placed at each site and how long they might stay, can help reduce tension. So can access to local volunteering and support networks that connect asylum seekers with English classes, health services, and community groups. Experience shows that early coordination between site managers, health providers, and local authorities is critical to avoiding bottlenecks and confusion.

Policy-wise, the decision to bring Crowborough and Inverness into use fits into a wider effort to find alternatives to hotels across the UK. The Home Office and the Ministry of Defence are still identifying additional disused sites for possible conversion, and officials are weighing how to balance speed and suitability. The aim is to build a network of locations that can absorb new arrivals while asylum claims progress. That does not resolve the deeper pressures caused by backlogs and slow decision-making, but it reflects a view inside government that accommodation must be stabilized now while other reforms continue. For formal guidance on asylum support and services, readers can consult the UK government guidance on asylum support.

For the communities involved, the immediate questions are practical: how many people will arrive in the first weeks, what facilities will be available onsite, and how will security and transport be handled. For the men who will live at Crowborough Training Camp and Cameron Barracks, the questions are more personal. They need clear timelines about their stay, access to legal help to move their cases forward, and a chance to live with dignity while they wait. If the government can provide stable, safe conditions, the shift might ease some of the pressure that has built up around hotels. If it cannot, the criticism that military sites are a costly distraction will intensify.

The government’s message remains that this is a necessary step to bring order to a strained system. As discussions continue through October and beyond, with departments finalizing plans and contractors preparing sites, the success of the rollout will hinge on tight coordination and honest assessment of costs. Ministers want visible progress and point to the combined capacity of around 900 places as proof that alternatives to hotels are possible. But the path from policy to practice is rarely simple. Crowborough and Cameron Barracks will test not just the government’s ability to move quickly but its ability to create humane, workable conditions at scale.

For now, the clock is ticking. Officials are working to ready both locations, with people expected to start moving in by the end of next month. The Home Office continues to explore other disused sites and modular options, indicating that Crowborough and Cameron Barracks are likely the first in a line of similar moves. Whether this approach delivers the promised cost reductions and a more stable system will become clearer in the months after the first residents arrive. For those watching closely—local councils, support groups, and people who may be sent to these sites—what happens next at the Crowborough Training Camp and at Cameron Barracks will signal how the government plans to manage asylum accommodation through the rest of this year and into the next.

Coverage from outlets including VisaVerge.com has highlighted how central accommodation policy has become to the broader debate over asylum. With public finances tight and pressure on services growing, the stakes around these two sites are high. If they work as intended, they could become examples of how to move away from hotels while maintaining basic standards. If they falter, the government may have to rethink how it meets its pledge to end hotel use by 2029 and reconcile that target with the Prime Minister’s ambition to move faster. Either way, the arrival of asylum seekers at Crowborough Training Camp and Cameron Barracks will mark a significant turn in the UK’s approach to housing people who are seeking safety and waiting for a decision on their future.