Between 150 and 200 people gathered outside the old Bexhill prison which is a proposed site for housing asylum seekers.
Bexhill residents protest about plans to house refugees at former prison camp
On Saturday afternoon, between 150 and 200 local people gathered at the site of the former Northeye Prison, to the west of Bexhill. They were there to object to government plans to turn the site into a housing solution for asylum seekers. The proposal is in response to concerns that too much money is spent housing asylum seekers in hotels. Erica Smith reports.
I first heard about the demonstration via posts on nextdoor.co.uk. Although the Northeye site is west of Bexhill, it is very close to a housing estate and some local residents have expressed concerns that they don’t think it will be safe to have so many asylum seekers housed nearby. Whilst these fears may be unfounded, there is still significant concern that the plans to rapidly convert the former prison into housing for refugees is not a viable solution.
Founder of the Refugee Buddy Project, Rossana Leal, attended the protest and was allowed to speak to the crowd because, like the majority of protestors there, she did not agree that it was the the right place to house asylum seekers.
She said, “It was a very hostile demonstration, but it was good to witness it and to be allowed to speak. I heard people speak of their unfounded fears of criminals and rapists – and some people just did not want refugees here.
“There is a lot of work to be done and Rother District Council needs to be made aware of this. We need to include the rights of people seeking refuge into the debate. There are some good examples of places where plans to house asylum seekers have been controversial, and as the result of discussion, public opinion has changed – so it is possible to find solutions which offer appropriate support to the asylum seekers and have the approval of local communities.”
One speaker shared his concerns that the building was ridden with asbestos.
Northeye was built as a campus for soldiers in the second World War. It served as a category C prison between 1969 and 1992 and was last used by students from the United Arab Emirates, closing in 2019.
Joint statement from East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Rother District Council (RDC)
On Monday 3 April at 2pm, a joint statement from ESCC and RDC was released. The text of it is below:
“We know many residents have voiced concerns about the proposals from the Home Office for the Northeye site in Bexhill.
We too are waiting for full facts about how the proposal to use the site to house people seeking asylum would be implemented. Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council were informed of the proposal late in the afternoon on Tuesday 28 March – a few hours before it was announced at lunchtime on Wednesday 29 March. There had been no previous discussions with the government.
As we said in our earlier statement, we are assessing the implications of the proposal and the impact it would have on the local community. We will then consider any further actions. We will ask the government to ensure the Home Office acts on all local concerns.
We are working with councils in other parts of the country where potential sites have also been identified by the government and with councils where similar facilities already exist to learn from their experiences.
We are very aware that the uncertainty around the issue is not helpful for residents and businesses in Bexhill and we are asking the Home Office, as a matter of urgency, to set up ways to consider and answer your questions.”
The Home Office has published a fact sheet with more information about its proposals. It has also provided an email address for further enquiries: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.
HOT will continue to report on the Northeye Campus as plans for the site develop.
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