News · 19 December 2025
Napier Barracks closes after housing 350 asylum seekers
Peter Trimming via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Napier Barracks in Folkestone has officially closed after housing asylum seekers since 2020, ending controversial use of the former military site. Initially opened as temporary accommodation during the pandemic, the facility accommodated up to 350 single adult male asylum seekers at its peak. The barracks faced extensive criticism from MPs who compared it to a prison, court rulings declaring conditions inadequate, and outbreaks of COVID-19 affecting 200 residents. The site will now be handed back to the Ministry of Defence.
Reported by Kent Online · How we write briefs