The first asylum seekers have been moved into a former military barracks in East Sussex as ministers face pressure to end the use of hotels.
Some 27 men have been housed at Crowborough Training Camp planned to accommodate up to 500 adult male migrants while their claims for asylum in the UK are being processed.
The Government has vowed to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament and announced plans to use the Crowborough base and Cameron Barracks in Inverness, Scotland as part of these efforts last year.
Latest Home Office figures show the number of asylum seekers being temporarily housed in hotels increased by 13% to 36,273 at the end of September.
There have been a series of protests in Crowborough and opposition from Wealden District Council (WDC) over the move who are considering a legal challenge.
The council said on Thursday it has been informed that a small group of residents were moved into the site on Wednesday night and the authority will “continue to seek legal advice”.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “Illegal migration has been placing immense pressure on communities.
“That is why we are removing the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain, closing asylum hotels that are blighting communities.
“Crowborough is just the start. I will bring forward site after site until every asylum hotel is closed and returned to local communities.”
The Crowborough accommodation has 24/7 security with CCTV and strict sign-in processes for residents, the Home Office said.
They will also have completed health and police checks before arriving at the base.
But on Wednesday after being informed by minister Alex Norris the camp will open, Wealden District Council leader James Partridge said: “Despite our strong objection, the minister hasn’t listened to any of us.”
“We’ve immediately contacted our legal team to ask them to review the decision, to see if there’s any way we can bring a legal challenge to it.
“We know this is a long shot, but we’ve been probing the Home Office throughout the process to see if we can find a way to bring a successful legal action.”
The Liberal Democrat council leader also said while “a lot of people will be angry, frightened and worried about this”, he urged to try and “make the best of it” and come together as the community did previously when Afghan families and Ukrainian refugees arrived.
The Crowborough site was used to accommodate Afghan families evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021 while they were resettled elsewhere.
“We still believe the decision is wrong, but we do have to make the best of it,” he added.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, WDC also claimed the Home Office is “trying to avoid” applying for planning permission to change the use of the army camp, instead relying on permitted development rights which have been completed.
But the authority added the direction “highlights a range of issues and inconsistencies” with what the Home Office previously told WDC.
Mr Partridge said: “Planning law exists to protect people and places.
“It says that changes to the use of land and buildings must be properly assessed for their impact on landscapes, noise, safety, traffic and the environment, and that communities should have a voice in decisions that affect them.
“No organisation, however large, can bypass proper scrutiny when communities are affected and we will continue to push for the Home Office to comply with the law on this.”
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