The Home Office is to apply directly to the Secretary of State for Housing for planning permission to continue using Crowborough Army Camp as asylum accommodation.
The move means Wealden District Council will not decide the planning application, with the Home Office instead intending to use the Urgent Crown Development procedure.
Wealden District Council was informed of the decision on Wednesday, 2 September.
Under the process, the council will still be invited to give its views on the proposal, alongside other organisations including Natural England and East Sussex Highways Authority. The Secretary of State will then be required to consider representations made during the consultation.
The development comes after the Home Office confirmed earlier this year that it intends to continue using the Crowborough site until January 2030, subject to planning permission.
The Ministry of Defence has also confirmed that it has agreed to the extension of the site’s use until January 2030, subject to the necessary planning permission. The arrangement is described by the government as temporary, with the intention that the site will eventually return to the Ministry of Defence.
Crowborough Army Camp began accommodating asylum seekers on 22 January 2026. The Home Office says the site is designed to accommodate up to 540 people.
Council remains opposed
Wealden District Council has strongly opposed the continued use of the camp as asylum accommodation.
Council leader Councillor Rachel Millward said the authority remains opposed both to the use of the site and to the route being taken by the Home Office to obtain planning permission.
However, the council says it will examine the proposals carefully and submit its views through the formal process.
Residents will also have an opportunity to comment once the planning application is formally published for consultation.
The council has said it will publish information about the application through its official channels when it becomes available.
What happens next?
The Home Office now needs to submit its application under the Urgent Crown Development procedure.
Once the application is published, a consultation will take place, allowing the council and other relevant organisations to make representations.
The final decision will be made by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, rather than Wealden District Council.
For now, the proposed continuation of asylum accommodation at Crowborough Army Camp until 2030 remains subject to planning permission.
BPE News will continue to follow this story as more details emerge.