PLANS by the Home Office to house hundreds of Asylum seekers in a former private hospital in Eastbourne have been pulled, following appeals by local councillors and residents.
The Esperance Hospital in Hartington Place was earmarked by the Home Office to be converted into a 125-bedroom accommodation centre.
An announcement last week saw the launch of a petition, which was signed by 5,000 residents, and calls by councillors and the local MP who say the site is not suitable for such a project.
Opposition Leader, Councillor Robert Smart (Conservative), pictured above, welcomed the decision, describing the proposal as ‘reckless’ and deeply damaging to Eastbourne’s future.
He said: “The Home Office has finally seen sense and abandoned its reckless plan to convert the former Esperance Hospital into a 125-bed asylum seeker accommodation centre. This proposal showed an appalling disregard for the future of Eastbourne.
“It was always clear that Esperance House was entirely unsuitable. It sits in a neighbourhood largely made up of elderly and vulnerable residents, right next to the heart of Eastbourne’s tourism and hospitality sector.”
Josh Babarinde, Member of Parliament for Eastbourne, wrote to the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper urging the Home Office to ‘reconsider’ the proposals, amid concerns raised by authorities including Eastbourne Borough Council and East Sussex County Council. The Home Office cited Mr Babarinde’s letter in their negotiations on the use of the site.
Josh said: “After making extensive representations directly to the Home Office and via the media, I am pleased that the Home Office finally accepted mine and our local councils’ arguments that the proposed Esperance House scheme was not appropriate.
“Eastbourne is a compassionate and inclusive town and we do play our part – but mass accommodation schemes like the one that was proposed are not the way, as national charities have also said.
“It really is time for this Government to clear up the mess of the last one, where Channel crossings were allowed to spiral out of control. They need to double down on tackling dangerous small boat crossings, and on processing people much more quickly to get on top of this for all involved”
In a statement, Stephen Holt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said: “As Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, I made very clear to the Home Office that this site was inappropriate, and this is a result of our continued representations. I am very grateful to our partners who joined us, particularly Sussex Police, East Sussex County Council and our local MP for their support. This is the right decision for our town.”
