Overview
- Twenty-seven single adult men were brought to the East Sussex base overnight, with plans to scale capacity to more than 500 for stays of up to three months.
- Ministers present the move as part of a pledge to close asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, with further sites including Cameron Barracks in Inverness planned.
- Wealden District Council says it is seeking legal advice over the decision and claims the Home Office is relying on permitted development rights rather than full planning permission.
- Officials say the camp has 24/7 security, CCTV and strict sign‑in procedures, and that arrivals were screened against policing and immigration databases and received initial health checks.
- The National Audit Office has previously found large sites could cost more than hotels, a live concern as about 36,000 people were still in hotel accommodation at the end of September.