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Work Starts at Crowborough Army Camp as Town Protests Plan to House 600 Asylum Seekers

Officials frame the military-site plan as a step toward ending hotel accommodation with mandatory security checks.

Overview

  • Reporters observed new perimeter fencing, residential huts, communal bins and fibre cabling being installed at the Crowborough Training Camp on November 17.
  • Around 2,000 residents marched on November 16 chanting 'Starmer out' after a heated public meeting days earlier where private security intervened.
  • The Home Office apologized for poor local communication and says the camp is intended for 12 months as part of a move away from asylum hotels.
  • Grassroots group Crowborough Shield says it has raised more than £12,000 to fund legal action, and Wealden District Council has been weighing its options.
  • Refugee groups warn a military site near police firearms training risks retraumatising vulnerable people, while locals voice safety and GP-capacity concerns.