{
 "generated_at": null,
 "as_at": "2026-07",
 "source": "gov.uk 'Asylum accommodation at military sites: factsheets' and related official factsheets; House of Commons Library. School distances: DfE Get Information About Schools (open establishments). Boundaries/geocoding: ONS. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.",
 "count": 12,
 "notes": "Hand-maintained list of OFFICIAL, government-named large asylum accommodation sites (military bases, RAF stations, barracks, vessels and other large sites) - the announced alternatives to hotels. Individual hotels are deliberately NOT listed. Compiled from the gov.uk 'Asylum accommodation at military sites: factsheets' collection and related official factsheets, cross-checked against House of Commons Library briefings and 2025-2026 reporting. Coordinates are site/village centroids (approximate to within a few hundred metres). Capacity figures are only marked official where stated by an official source; others are press or inspectorate reported. lad_code is re-derived at build time by point-in-polygon against ONS boundaries.",
 "schools_note": "School distances are straight-line from the site centroid to open schools in the DfE register and are provided as objective context. The government's guidance that asylum accommodation should not be sited close to schools and nurseries states no official distance threshold; these figures are not a measure against any such threshold.",
 "sites": [
  {
   "name": "RAF Wethersfield",
   "type": "raf",
   "town": "Wethersfield",
   "county": "Essex",
   "region": "East of England",
   "lat": 51.9722,
   "lon": 0.5083,
   "capacity": 1245,
   "official_capacity": true,
   "status": "open",
   "opened": "2023-07",
   "closed": "",
   "notes": "Former MoD airfield; a Special Development Order permits asylum use until April 2027, with total capacity raised to 1,245 bedspaces.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-at-military-sites-factsheets/wethersfield-essex-factsheet",
   "lad_code": "E07000067",
   "la": "Braintree",
   "la_total_supported": 791,
   "la_in_hotels": 0,
   "nearest_school": "Wethersfield CofE VC Primary School",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Primary",
   "nearest_school_miles": 1.59,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 0,
   "schools_within_1mi": 0,
   "schools_within_2mi": 1,
   "slug": "raf-wethersfield"
  },
  {
   "name": "Crowborough Training Camp",
   "type": "military",
   "town": "Crowborough",
   "county": "East Sussex",
   "region": "South East",
   "lat": 51.0522,
   "lon": 0.1889,
   "capacity": 540,
   "official_capacity": true,
   "status": "open",
   "opened": "2026-01",
   "closed": "",
   "notes": "Former military training camp previously used for the Afghan Resettlement Programme; began accommodating asylum seekers on 22 January 2026, building to a capacity of 540, with permission to operate through January 2030.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-at-military-sites-factsheets/crowborough-training-camp-east-sussex-factsheet",
   "lad_code": "E07000065",
   "la": "Wealden",
   "la_total_supported": 419,
   "la_in_hotels": 0,
   "nearest_school": "Ashdown Primary School",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Primary",
   "nearest_school_miles": 0.72,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 0,
   "schools_within_1mi": 5,
   "schools_within_2mi": 7,
   "slug": "crowborough-training-camp"
  },
  {
   "name": "MoD Linton-on-Ouse",
   "type": "raf",
   "town": "Linton-on-Ouse",
   "county": "North Yorkshire",
   "region": "Yorkshire and The Humber",
   "lat": 54.0486,
   "lon": -1.2528,
   "capacity": null,
   "official_capacity": false,
   "status": "planned",
   "opened": "",
   "closed": "",
   "notes": "Former RAF station; an earlier 2022 proposal for up to 1,500 was abandoned and the site was revived as a proposal in 2026, subject to feasibility assessment and planning, with a minimum three-year operational period.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-at-military-sites-factsheets/mod-linton-on-ouse-north-yorkshire-factsheet",
   "lad_code": "E06000065",
   "la": "North Yorkshire",
   "la_total_supported": 325,
   "la_in_hotels": 62,
   "nearest_school": "Linton-on-Ouse Primary School",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Primary",
   "nearest_school_miles": 1.04,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 0,
   "schools_within_1mi": 0,
   "schools_within_2mi": 1,
   "slug": "mod-linton-on-ouse"
  },
  {
   "name": "MoD Barnham",
   "type": "military",
   "town": "Barnham",
   "county": "Suffolk",
   "region": "East of England",
   "lat": 52.4072,
   "lon": 0.755,
   "capacity": null,
   "official_capacity": false,
   "status": "planned",
   "opened": "",
   "closed": "",
   "notes": "Former military site no longer in active MoD use, proposed in 2026 for single adult male asylum seekers subject to feasibility assessment and planning, with a proposed minimum ten-year operational period.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-at-military-sites-factsheets/mod-barnham-suffolk-factsheet",
   "lad_code": "E07000143",
   "la": "Breckland",
   "la_total_supported": 56,
   "la_in_hotels": 0,
   "nearest_school": "The Damara School",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Not applicable",
   "nearest_school_miles": 0.37,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 1,
   "schools_within_1mi": 8,
   "schools_within_2mi": 13,
   "slug": "mod-barnham"
  },
  {
   "name": "MoD Bicester (Site A)",
   "type": "military",
   "town": "Bicester",
   "county": "Oxfordshire",
   "region": "South East",
   "lat": 51.8916,
   "lon": -1.136,
   "capacity": null,
   "official_capacity": false,
   "status": "planned",
   "opened": "",
   "closed": "",
   "notes": "Former military accommodation proposed in 2026 for single adult male asylum seekers; an Urgent Crown Development application has been submitted to MHCLG but no final decision has been taken, with a minimum ten-year operational period if approved.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-at-military-sites-factsheets/mod-bicester-site-a-oxfordshire-factsheet",
   "lad_code": "E07000177",
   "la": "Cherwell",
   "la_total_supported": 106,
   "la_in_hotels": 0,
   "nearest_school": "Langford Village Community Primary School",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Primary",
   "nearest_school_miles": 0.13,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 1,
   "schools_within_1mi": 4,
   "schools_within_2mi": 16,
   "slug": "mod-bicester-site-a"
  },
  {
   "name": "Bibby Stockholm",
   "type": "vessel",
   "town": "Portland",
   "county": "Dorset",
   "region": "South West",
   "lat": 50.5698,
   "lon": -2.4437,
   "capacity": 500,
   "official_capacity": false,
   "status": "closed",
   "opened": "2023-08",
   "closed": "2025-01",
   "notes": "Accommodation barge berthed at Portland Port; the contract was not renewed, residents were relocated and the vessel decommissioned as the lease ended in January 2025. Capacity figure is press-reported.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-portland-port/portland-port-factsheet",
   "lad_code": "E06000059",
   "la": "Dorset",
   "la_total_supported": 6,
   "la_in_hotels": 0,
   "nearest_school": "St George's Foundation Primary School",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Primary",
   "nearest_school_miles": 1.83,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 0,
   "schools_within_1mi": 0,
   "schools_within_2mi": 1,
   "slug": "bibby-stockholm"
  },
  {
   "name": "Napier Barracks",
   "type": "barracks",
   "town": "Folkestone",
   "county": "Kent",
   "region": "South East",
   "lat": 51.0836,
   "lon": 1.1611,
   "capacity": 328,
   "official_capacity": false,
   "status": "closed",
   "opened": "2020-09",
   "closed": "2025-12",
   "notes": "Former MoD barracks used for single adult male asylum seekers; decant completed 19 December 2025 and the site handed back to the MoD in January 2026. Capacity figure is press-reported.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-napier-barracks-folkestone/napier-barracks-folkestone-factsheet",
   "lad_code": "E07000112",
   "la": "Folkestone and Hythe",
   "la_total_supported": 45,
   "la_in_hotels": 0,
   "nearest_school": "Earlscliffe (Sussex Summer Schools Ltd)",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Not applicable",
   "nearest_school_miles": 0.21,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 4,
   "schools_within_1mi": 18,
   "schools_within_2mi": 26,
   "slug": "napier-barracks"
  },
  {
   "name": "Penally Training Camp",
   "type": "military",
   "town": "Penally",
   "county": "Pembrokeshire",
   "region": "Wales",
   "lat": 51.6628,
   "lon": -4.7266,
   "capacity": 250,
   "official_capacity": false,
   "status": "closed",
   "opened": "2020-09",
   "closed": "2021-03",
   "notes": "Former military training camp near Tenby used for asylum accommodation from September 2020; closed in spring 2021 and returned to the MoD after inspections found it unsuitable for long-term use. Capacity is inspectorate/press-reported.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-penally-asylum-accommodation-march-update",
   "lad_code": "W06000009",
   "la": "Pembrokeshire",
   "la_total_supported": 16,
   "la_in_hotels": 0,
   "nearest_school": null,
   "nearest_school_phase": null,
   "nearest_school_miles": null,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": null,
   "schools_within_1mi": null,
   "schools_within_2mi": null,
   "schools_note": "England schools register (DfE) only; not available for this nation.",
   "slug": "penally-training-camp"
  },
  {
   "name": "Cameron Barracks",
   "type": "barracks",
   "town": "Inverness",
   "county": "Highland",
   "region": "Scotland",
   "lat": 57.4783,
   "lon": -4.205,
   "capacity": 300,
   "official_capacity": true,
   "status": "cancelled",
   "opened": "",
   "closed": "2026-06",
   "notes": "The Home Office told Highland Council in October 2025 it planned to house up to 300 adult men here, but the plan was dropped in 2026 amid HMO licensing disputes; the site never opened.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-at-military-sites-factsheets",
   "lad_code": "S12000017",
   "la": "",
   "nearest_school": null,
   "nearest_school_phase": null,
   "nearest_school_miles": null,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": null,
   "schools_within_1mi": null,
   "schools_within_2mi": null,
   "schools_note": "England schools register (DfE) only; not available for this nation.",
   "slug": "cameron-barracks"
  },
  {
   "name": "RAF Scampton",
   "type": "raf",
   "town": "Scampton",
   "county": "Lincolnshire",
   "region": "East Midlands",
   "lat": 53.3072,
   "lon": -0.5511,
   "capacity": null,
   "official_capacity": false,
   "status": "cancelled",
   "opened": "",
   "closed": "2024-09",
   "notes": "Former RAF base whose planned asylum use was cancelled on 5 September 2024 on value-for-money grounds (estimated cost at least £180m); the site never opened for asylum use.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-scampton/scampton-factsheet",
   "lad_code": "E07000142",
   "la": "West Lindsey",
   "la_total_supported": 64,
   "la_in_hotels": 0,
   "nearest_school": "Pollyplatt Primary Academy",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Primary",
   "nearest_school_miles": 0.69,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 0,
   "schools_within_1mi": 1,
   "schools_within_2mi": 2,
   "slug": "raf-scampton"
  },
  {
   "name": "Catterick Garrison",
   "type": "military",
   "town": "Catterick Garrison",
   "county": "North Yorkshire",
   "region": "Yorkshire and The Humber",
   "lat": 54.3745,
   "lon": -1.723,
   "capacity": null,
   "official_capacity": false,
   "status": "cancelled",
   "opened": "",
   "closed": "",
   "notes": "Named on 29 March 2023 as a potential large-scale asylum site but never developed or opened; plans were dropped in favour of other sites.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9831/",
   "lad_code": "E06000065",
   "la": "North Yorkshire",
   "la_total_supported": 325,
   "la_in_hotels": 62,
   "nearest_school": "Cambrai Primary School",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Primary",
   "nearest_school_miles": 0.42,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 4,
   "schools_within_1mi": 6,
   "schools_within_2mi": 7,
   "slug": "catterick-garrison"
  },
  {
   "name": "Northeye",
   "type": "large_site",
   "town": "Bexhill-on-Sea",
   "county": "East Sussex",
   "region": "South East",
   "lat": 50.8452,
   "lon": 0.4406,
   "capacity": null,
   "official_capacity": false,
   "status": "cancelled",
   "opened": "",
   "closed": "",
   "notes": "Former prison site acquired by the Home Office and identified as a potential large asylum site, but never brought into use; later transferred to Homes England for housing redevelopment.",
   "factsheet_url": "https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmselect/cmpubacc/361/report.html",
   "lad_code": "E07000064",
   "la": "Rother",
   "la_total_supported": 6,
   "la_in_hotels": 0,
   "nearest_school": "Little Common School",
   "nearest_school_phase": "Primary",
   "nearest_school_miles": 0.17,
   "schools_within_0_5mi": 1,
   "schools_within_1mi": 2,
   "schools_within_2mi": 9,
   "slug": "northeye"
  }
 ]
}