Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of whether an Environmental Impact Assessment is required for the use of the Crowborough Training Camp site to accommodate asylum seekers.

As potential sites are identified and progressed for alternative asylum accommodation, a Stage Gate process, which builds on the lessons learned from the delivery of previous sites, is followed to ensure that any decisions made are informed by a comprehensive range of information. This includes, but isn’t limited to, site surveys and environmental audits.

Regarding Crowborough, the Home Office has been engaging with statutory partners, including Health, Police and Fire Rescue, on this proposal and we will ensure that the site operates safely, with mitigations for local impacts such as on local services.

All alternative accommodation sites, including Crowborough, will provide basic, functional, and humane accommodation while asylum claims are processed.