The Home Office has confirmed that Napier Barracks in Folkestone will stop housing asylum seekers by the end of December 2025.
Operations at the 130 year old military base will officially end on Friday, 19th December. This marks the conclusion of a five year period where the site was used to house hundreds of single adult men.
The government says the barracks will be empty before the New Year begins. In January 2026, the site will be handed back to the Ministry of Defence. Plans are already in place to sell the land to a private housing developer by March.
Years of legal battles and poor conditions
Since it first opened as an asylum centre in 2020, Napier Barracks has stayed under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Local residents, legal experts, and human rights groups have repeatedly criticised the facility.
A major turning point came in 2021 when the High Court ruled that conditions at the barracks were unlawful. Judges found the site did not meet basic safety standards. This followed a massive Covid-19 outbreak where nearly 200 men caught the virus while living in crowded dormitories.
Charities like Care4Calais have argued for years that the old military base was the wrong place for vulnerable people. Many of those living there had already survived war and trauma.
Charlotte Khan, who leads advocacy at Care4Calais, said the closure is a relief. However, she warned that the “mental scars” left on the men who lived there would last a long time. On 14th December, volunteers handed out their final donations of warm clothes outside the gates.
What happens to the site now?
The land is now being prepared for a fresh start. It is expected to become a new housing estate. Developers Taylor Wimpey are set to build flats and houses on the grounds, which will change the face of this part of Folkestone.
Local people have reacted with a mix of relief and worry. While the closure stops the protests and demonstrations that often happened at the gates, many wonder where the remaining men will go next.
Moving to new locations
Closing Napier Barracks is part of a plan to stop using hotels for asylum seekers. But this shift has created new arguments about other sites.
- Crowborough Camp: Officials are looking at using this base in East Sussex.
- Cameron Barracks: This site in Inverness is being considered for adult men.
- RAF Wethersfield: This base in Essex is still open, even though it faces similar legal complaints about poor conditions.
Home Office staff have told local councils that no one from Napier will be moved to Crowborough Camp immediately. Community leaders asked for this delay to avoid any trouble over the Christmas holidays.
A change in government strategy
The Home Office claims that shutting down the barracks will help create a cheaper and better asylum system. A spokesperson said the current government took over a system that was “falling apart.” They want to stop the high costs of using hotels.
The National Audit Office found that using big military sites cost taxpayers more than £230 million by the start of 2024. Critics say that even though the government promised to save money, these sites were actually harder and more expensive to run than normal housing.
Napier is not the only site closing. The Bibby Stockholm barge has already been cleared, and plans for a site at RAF Scampton were also cancelled.
While the gates at Napier Barracks are finally closing, the debate over how the UK looks after asylum seekers is far from over. Everyone is watching to see if future policies will be more humane and effective.
