The UK government’s contentious plan to house hundreds of asylum seekers at two military sites—Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex and Cameron Barracks in Inverness, Scottish Highlands—has hit the brakes, at least for now. After months of heated debate, logistical wrangling, and community pushback, the Home Office confirmed on November 28, 2025, that it would delay the transfer of people to these former army bases, citing safety concerns and the need for the sites to be "fully operational and safe" before any move goes ahead, according to BBC reporting.
The original plan was ambitious, if not controversial. As part of a broader drive to shutter costly asylum hotels, the government intended to relocate about 540 men to Crowborough and another 300 to Cameron Barracks by early December 2025. But as the deadline loomed, it became clear that the logistics—and local resistance—were more formidable than anticipated.
The Home Office’s decision was not made lightly. In a statement, a spokesperson acknowledged the urgency of the situation, saying, "We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. Moving to large military sites is an important part of our reforms to tackle remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain. We are continuing to accelerate plans to move people into Cameron Barracks, when it is fully operational and safe. We will continue to work closely with local representatives and authorities throughout this transition." The message was clear: the government is determined to act, but not at the expense of safety or order.
The delays stem from a mix of practical and political hurdles. Both sites were earmarked earlier in 2025 as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, but the local authorities were quick to express reservations. In East Sussex, the Wealden District Council passed a motion formally opposing the Crowborough proposal, raising concerns about the impact on local infrastructure and services. Meanwhile, Highland Council in Scotland flagged the scale of the Cameron Barracks plan, warning of potential pressure on local services and the risk of the site becoming a flashpoint for protest or even violence.
Cameron Barracks, a 140-year-old base near Inverness city centre, is no stranger to emergency accommodation. It previously housed families fleeing Afghanistan, offering a temporary haven during a time of crisis. But the scale of the current proposal—300 men, arriving at a rate of about 60 per week starting the second week of December—sparked new anxieties among residents and officials alike. Highland Council officials, according to BBC, even recommended writing to the Home Office to seek "urgent clarity" on the proposals at the start of November.
It’s not just local authorities who are wary. The broader UK public has watched the government’s asylum accommodation policy with a mix of skepticism, frustration, and, in some corners, outright hostility. Over the summer of 2025, widespread protests erupted across the country, targeting hotels housing asylum seekers. Scotland saw demonstrations outside hotels in Perth, Aberdeenshire, and Falkirk. In Falkirk, tensions boiled over in September when a brick was thrown through the window of the Cladhan Hotel, months after rival pro- and anti-immigration groups staged dueling protests. The Park Hotel in the same town was also targeted after a former resident, Sadeq Nikzad, was sentenced to nine years in jail for the rape of a 15-year-old girl—a case that inflamed local passions and underscored the fraught politics surrounding asylum accommodation.
Against this backdrop, the Home Office’s caution is perhaps understandable. The government has made it clear that the move to military sites is a key plank in its efforts to "remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain." But it also insists that the transition will not be rushed. "We want to avoid rushed plans leading to unsafe and chaotic situations," a Home Office spokesperson told BBC. "We will proceed when facilities are fully operational and safe."
To that end, a multi-agency partnership has been convened to manage the transition. The group includes local councils, NHS Highland, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish government, Cosla (the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities), and the Home Office itself. According to a Highland Council spokesperson, the partnership meets weekly to "plan for the arrival of asylum seekers and learn from best practice." The goal is to ensure that when asylum seekers do arrive, the necessary support structures—healthcare, policing, fire safety, and community engagement—are firmly in place.
Despite these efforts, concerns persist. Local authorities worry about the scale of the proposals and the possibility of the sites becoming targets for those "deliberately wishing to incite violence and hatred," as one council report put it. The plan is for the sites to serve as asylum accommodation for 12 months, after which they would revert to their original military use. But in communities already stretched thin by years of austerity and public service cuts, the prospect of absorbing hundreds of new arrivals—many with complex needs—has sparked apprehension and debate.
Some residents and officials have called for more transparency and consultation. Highland Council, for example, has pressed for "urgent clarity" from the Home Office, seeking detailed information on arrival schedules, support services, and contingency plans. Wealden District Council’s formal opposition to the Crowborough site reflects similar demands for local input and safeguards.
For asylum seekers themselves, the delay is a mixed blessing. On one hand, the uncertainty prolongs their stay in hotels, which are often cramped and isolating. On the other, the promise of better-prepared facilities—backed by a multi-agency safety net—offers some hope that their eventual move will be less chaotic and more humane. The government’s stated aim is to "accelerate" the movement of people, but not at the expense of "the safety of local communities."
The UK’s asylum system has come under sustained pressure in recent years, with record numbers of people crossing the Channel in small boats and a backlog of cases clogging the system. The use of hotels as temporary accommodation has drawn criticism from all sides—some argue it’s too generous, others say it’s inhumane. The shift to military sites was intended as a pragmatic solution, but as recent events show, there are no easy answers.
As the government, local authorities, and communities continue to wrestle with the challenges of asylum accommodation, one thing is certain: the debate is far from over. The story of Crowborough and Cameron Barracks is just the latest chapter in a much larger national conversation about migration, security, and what it means to offer sanctuary in uncertain times.
