Britain’s oldest sea fort, Fort Blockhouse in Gosport, Hampshire, could be transformed into accommodation for asylum seekers, after ministers pressed the Home Office to clarify its intentions for the historic site.
The Labour government has refused to rule out the possibility of using the 15th-century fort as temporary housing, as part of a wider review into the use of military sites and warehouses to process and hold asylum applicants. Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Defence Minister Luke Pollard did not deny that Fort Blockhouse is under consideration, telling MPs: “As every Government department can contribute something to this effort [to tackle the small boats crisis], it’s right that the Ministry of Defence does so.”
The move comes amid growing pressure to reduce the use of hotels for asylum seekers, which has proved costly and controversial. The Home Office is now examining a range of alternative sites, including former military facilities, to provide what ministers describe as “temporary and adequate accommodation.”
Fort Blockhouse, built in 1431, is steeped in history. It was partially destroyed by French forces during the Hundred Years War and later served as the home of the Royal Navy Submarine Service from 1905 until 1995. The fort remained operational until as recently as December 2021, when it was closed.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP for Gosport, raised the issue in Parliament, warning that such a move would be a “terrible outcome” for her constituency. She described the fort as a “unique and special asset with such large potential,” and urged the Government to reconsider.
Responding, Mr Pollard said that all Ministry of Defence sites are being reviewed for possible use: “Some of those have been visited by the Home Office in the past, both under this Government and especially under the previous administration. The priority now is not only to process the asylum applicants that weren’t being done under the last Government, that we’re speeding up, but to close the asylum hotels. So to do that, we’ve got to provide temporary and adequate accommodation.”
The fate of Fort Blockhouse remains uncertain, but the government’s refusal to take it off the table has reignited debate over how best to house asylum seekers while protecting local communities.
