More than 1,000 refugees could be housed at the site of a former Sussex prison by the end of the year, the government has said.
Proposals announced this week would see migrants moved from across the country to Northeye in Bexhill, as well as two disused military bases in Essex and Lincolnshire.
According to a government factsheet on the plans, the site, which served as a Category C prison between 1969 and 1992, will house only single adult male asylum seekers - with as many as 800 people living there by September.
Under the proposals, 1,200 people are expected to be accommodated at the site by the end of the year.
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No date has been announced for the opening of the site, with the government planning to use a “phased approach… gradually increasing the number of individuals accommodated at the site over time.”
New accommodation at the site would be created to house asylum seekers and also provide on-site recreation, a shop, faith services and “some level of medical services”.
“By designing the site to be as self-sufficient as possible, we would minimise the impact on local communities and services,” the factsheet said.
It is not clear how long refugees will be housed at the site.
Although those living at the site would be free to come and go, they would be expected to be on-site overnight.
“Proposals include providing onsite recreational and culture activities to occupy asylum seekers to minimise the impact on existing facilities within the local area,” the government factsheet stated.
The site is expected to be operated on behalf of the Home Office by an existing asylum accommodation provider, with the site set to “create new jobs and could bring investment into the area”.
The government factsheet also said that “no final decision has been taken to use the site”, with the government continuing to work on proposals to use the site at Bexhill as an asylum accommodation site.
Labour councillor Bella Sankey, who previously served as director for Detention Action, criticised the proposal as “inhumane and hugely wasteful”.
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