Neighbours claim they are 'distressed' over Home Office plans to house as many as 1,200 asylum seekers on their doorstep. A group of residents living near one of three proposed sites the government wants to use to house refugees to try and cope with the huge backlog in processing asylum claims. Protesters gathered by the gates of the Northeye site near Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, on Saturday (April 1) and waved banners, saying "Stop! Wrong Plan, Place". They fear the small village of 200 people will be dwarfed if 1,200 people are moved to the former prison. Last week the Home Office announced the Bexhill site, which used to be a prison and training centre, is one of three to be chosen in the UK, and will accommodate up to 1,200 people. The two other proposed sites are in Scampton, Lincolnshire, and Wethersfield in Essex. Lisa Marchant, who organised the event, said: "I have lived on this estate for more than 12 years. There’s 200 residents who live here, families and lots of young children. "There is a big concern on the estate and from the community that we are going to have 800 men moving into the site by September and by January 2024 we will have 1,200 men in there. "The biggest concern for us is security, safety and also for our local amenities. Can our doctors’ surgeries cope? Can our shops cope?” She said she and other residents have been delivering flyers outlining the Home Office’s plans, knocking on more than 200 doors. She added that a lot of people were "very distraught and distressed" over the proposals. Lisa added: “A lot of people did not know that this was happening. This is not a protest, it’s a gathering to explain to everyone how concerned we are.” Huw Merriman, Bexhill MP, said the plans for the site have not been finished and that he has many questions about the plan. He added: "I recognise the challenges posed by the proposal to build a new accommodation centre for asylum seekers. "In addition to my own numerous questions, I have received many from local stakeholders and constituents. "The Home Office have committed to working with me and the wider community to address concerns and I expect all constituent questions to be answered. I am sorry for the concern that this proposal has brought. "The proposal for Northeye is, unlike the other three English sites, not yet finalised. The contract by the landowner to sell to the Home Office only exchanged on the week commencing March 27 and there are further legal matters to be completed. "The Home Office must additionally complete site and toxicology testing. "I am told that only men will be housed in the accommodation; there will be no women and there will be no children. "Countries from where the asylum seekers are fleeing are expected to include Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria in the main.

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