A former military barracks, controversially used to house asylum seekers for more than five years, will shut tomorrow.
The Home Office plans to finish its “site decant” of the controversial Napier Barracks in Folkestone, used for temporary housing, holding around 350 people at its peak.
Napier Barracks accommodated up to 350 single adult male asylum seekersDeveloper Taylor Wimpey is set to move forward with a housing development on the site
By January 2026, the Home Office is expected to hand the site back to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which will then pass ownership to Taylor Wimpey for redevelopment.
The property developer has earmarked the land as part of its Shorncliffe Heights development, a large-scale residential project on the former Shorncliffe Garrison site.
It is planned to provide about 1,200 homes once complete, after planning permission was granted in 2015.
Napier Barracks had previously been earmarked to be emptied in March, but a series of delays pushed the closure back to the end of December.
The site – which housed single adult male asylum seekers – was first brought into use by the previous Conservative government in September 2020.
Napier Barracks in Folkestone is set to be emptied tomorrow after housing asylum seekers for more than five years. Picture: Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and ImmigrationThe site is due to be handed back to the Ministry of Defence in January
It was meant to be temporary accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic, but its use was extended for five years.
At its peak, the barracks became the focus of controversy, with several MPs calling for it to be shut down.
In 2022, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Immigration Detention compared the site to a prison, describing it as “fundamentally unsuitable for use as asylum accommodation”.
That same year, a High Court judgement ruled the facilities were inadequate and found the Home Office guilty of employing unlawful practices.
Six asylum seekers waiting for their claims to be decided successfully challenged the government in court after a judge ruled their accommodation fell significantly below the minimum standard.
Anti-immigration protesters gathered outside the barracks last month. Picture: Folkestone Action NetworkSome MPs argued the barracks should have been shut down. Picture: Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration
The barracks has also been the scene of repeated demonstrations.
A number of anti-immigration protests have taken place outside the site over the years – most recently last month.
KentOnline previously reported how a ‘stop the boats’ march in November attracted a low turnout, with counter-protestors far outnumbering those attending the rally.
Some reports suggested as few as seven protestors turned up.
Taylor Wimpey has already built a number of new homes at the wider Shorncliffe Barracks site over the past decade.
The developer is set to begin building homes on the site early next year.