The former Northeye prison is located on the outskirts of Bexhill

Plan to house asylum seekers at Northeye scrapped

The government has scrapped its predecessor’s plan to turn the former Northeye prison in Bexhill into accommodation for asylum seekers and will instead sell the site. Under Suella Braverman the Home Office paid more than twice as much for the site as the previous owner only a year before. Text by Nick Terdre, research by Russell Hall.

In a letter to Bexhill and Battle MP Kieran Mullan, Angela Eagle, the Home Office minister for Border Security and Asylum, said this week: “I write to confirm that this Government has now made the decision not to progress with this site. We are very conscious of the need to ensure best value for the taxpayer and progressing the site would have taken significant time and further remediation and operational costs.”

The news was welcomed by Cllr Doug Oliver, leader of Rother District Council, who said: “After almost two years of uncertainty and unanswered questions, we welcome the decision by the new Government not to push ahead with plans to use the former Northeye prison site in Bexhill to house asylum seekers.

“Apart from serious questions about the safety of the site and its buildings, we shared residents’ concerns about the impact such a plan would have on the community and local services, particularly those living near the site.”

The Conservative government’s proposal had aroused opposition from local residents, who under the banner of No to Northeye claimed that the presence of asylum seekers could pose a threat to their safety. The then MP Huw Merriman backed these concerns.

However representatives of refugee support groups, while also opposing the plan, disputed the claim, arguing that the presence of criminal or anti-social elements among asylum seekers was likely to be no greater than in the general population.

The site was purchased by the Home Office in September last year for £15.4m, well over twice the £6.3m paid for it by the Brockwell Group Bexhill, a developer, in August 2022. The National Audit Office criticised the government for dispensing with established procedures, lacking in-house expertise, cutting corners and paying more than it needed to.

Entrance to the site

“A full assessment of the remediation required on the site did not take place either, despite significant risks being flagged,” the NAO concluded.

It has been estimated that remediation, including the cost of clearing the site of asbestos contamination, and repairs to the dilapidated buildings, could have cost a further £20m or more.

Eagle told Mullan that “…steps will be taken to ensure that the onward sale of the site is carried out appropriately, and the correct market value is reflected.”

The Home Office acquired Northeye as part of a plan to curb the mounting cost of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels which resulted from its long-running failure to implement efficient and timely procedures for examining asylum claims.

According to Eagle, faster asylum processing, increased returns and tighter enforcement of immigration rules will reduce demand for accommodation like the site at Bexhill and save millions for the taxpayer.

“We look forward to a discussion with the Home Office regarding the future use of the site,” Oliver said. It could potentially be used for housing development:  like Hastings and many other councils, Rother faces stiff mandatory house-building targets set by the Labour government.

Also in: Politics