The administration has confirmed that a former jail property that was intended for asylum seekers would be rebuilt into homes.

Homes England announced that the Home Office had officially transferred the HMP Northeye facility in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, to the housing agency.

The previous administration was chastised for spending more than £15 million to acquire the site in 2023, more than double what the vendor paid the previous year.

Homes England chief executive Amy Rees stated that the organization intended to collaborate with the local community to “help deliver new homes that meet local needs and support Bexhill’s future”.

The government stated that it would commence site maintenance while developing proposals for the property.

Rees stated, “The transfer of the Northeye site is not just an important local milestone, but also a clear example of Homes England’s national policy in action.

Rother District Council has proposed designating the land for 384 dwellings in its draft local plan. In December 2024, the government abandoned plans to use the Northeye area for asylum seekers’ lodging.

A National Audit Office audit that year stated that the Home Office had “cut corners” and “made poor decisions” when under pressure to avoid lodging migrants in hotels.

The Public Accounts Committee of MPs later chastised the Home Office for having a “dysfunctional culture” in which value for money was “a secondary concern”.