Hundreds of residents have marched once again in the East Sussex town of Crowborough to oppose Home Office plans to accommodate asylum seekers at a former army training camp.
The demonstration, held on Wednesday, marked the sixth protest since November against proposals to house 540 male asylum seekers at the site. Local residents say they are concerned about safety, transparency and the impact on the community.
Campaigners from the Crowborough Shield residents group have now escalated their opposition by requesting a judicial review, arguing the plans breach “common law rights to justice and procedural fairness”.
The Home Office has defended the proposal, saying the use of large military sites is central to its strategy to reduce reliance on hotels and tackle illegal migration.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “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 illegal migration and the pull factors that make the UK an attractive destination.
“We are continuing to accelerate plans to move people into Crowborough when the site is fully operational and safe.”
The spokesperson added that the department “would not replicate the mistakes of the past”, where rushed decisions had led to “unsafe and chaotic situations that impacts the local community”.
In response to growing unease, a local group called **Crowborough Fast Reaction Patrol** has been established. Its founders say it aims to provide reassurance rather than enforcement.
Nick Jones, who founded the group, told the BBC: “We’re here to provide reassurance, we understanding just having presence is enough to stop crime.
“We are not vigilantes, we are just there to provide reassurance for the people of Crowborough.”
The Home Office has previously confirmed that the Crowborough site forms part of a wider national plan to end the use of asylum hotels by repurposing former military facilities.
Local MP Nus Ghani, the Conservative representative for Sussex Weald, said residents’ concerns should not be dismissed.
“The concerns constituents raised to me are very valid,” she said. “They want to know, like the rest of us, how the site will be safe and legally compliant.”
The judicial review request is now expected to be considered, with further protests not ruled out as the dispute continues.
