This is when final decision on East Sussex immigration detention centre will be made

Northeye, in Bexhill, is one of several sites chosen by the Home Office.

It has also confirmed that it is exploring the possibility of the site being used as a detention centre for those who ‘arrive in the UK illegally’.

On Friday (October 13), Bexhill MP, Huw Merriman, met with concerned residents who live on the estate where the site is located.

He said: “I have been advised by the Home Office that surveys and assessment of the site will continue until the end of this year or early in the new year. At that point, I expect to receive further news on whether the site will proceed which I will publicly share.

“Following recent news that the Home Office has now completed purchase of the site and is undertaking further surveys to establish its potential as a ‘detained’ rather than an open site, I arranged to meet Northeye residents again to discuss this significant update.

“At my first meeting with Northeye residents back in April, it was clear that a key concern was their personal safety and security. Their homes are adjacent to the Northeye site and they share utilities, roads and street lighting with the site. Residents of Bexhill also told me that one of their main concerns was personal safety and security, not knowing the cohort who would be housed in the illegal migration accommodation.

“In meetings with Government colleagues, I explained that an open site adjacent to the residential town of Bexhill would pose challenges and would directly impact the wellbeing and quality of life of residents. I explained the difference between the Bexhill site and the more remote sites which have been proposed as open sites such as those in Lincolnshire and Essex.

“Following these discussions, the Immigration Minister has confirmed that the site will no longer be designed as an open, free to come and go, site but as a closed and detained site. This means that those who come to the centre will remain inside it until such time they are moved to another centre.

“During last Friday’s meeting, the residents spoke with passion about the impact this proposal has had on their lives and the uncertainty it has placed on their futures and the value of their homes. I do understand and fully empathise with their situation. I hope that the commitment which I have managed to secure from the Home Office to use the site only for detained accommodation will help allay their safety concerns.”

Last month, a petition signed by more than 2,000 people opposing Government plans to turn Northeye into a centre for asylum seekers, was handed to Rother District Council by the No to Northeye group, calling on the authority to oppose the plans by the Home Office.

Since the plans for Northeye were first unveiled in March, several protests have been held in Bexhill, organised by the No to Northeye group.