The Home Office has postponed plans to house asylum seekers at two military sites in East Sussex and the Scottish Highlands.
The proposal involved moving about 540 men to the Crowborough army training camp and another 300 to Cameron Barracks in Inverness, with the original target set for early December as part of efforts to phase out the use of asylum hotels.
Officials said the decision to delay was to prevent unsafe and chaotic situations, stressing that transfers would only proceed when both facilities were fully prepared and safe for use.
Both sites had been identified earlier this year as potential temporary accommodation centres. However, opposition emerged from local authorities.
Wealden District Council in East Sussex formally objected to the Crowborough plan, while Highland Council voiced concerns about the scale of operations at Cameron Barracks and the potential strain on local services.
The Inverness site, a 140-year-old base near the city centre, previously housed families fleeing Afghanistan.
Despite the delay, the Home Office maintains that it still intends to accelerate the relocation process, but not at the expense of community safety.
A spokesperson criticised the current levels of illegal migration and the reliance on asylum hotels, saying that moving people to larger military sites was a key part of reforms aimed at reducing incentives for irregular arrivals.
The spokesperson added that the department would continue working closely with local representatives throughout the transition.
Protests against the housing of asylum seekers in hotels grew across the UK during the summer. Demonstrations took place in Perth, Aberdeenshire, and Falkirk, where incidents included a brick being thrown through the window of the Cladhan Hotel.
The Park Hotel in the same town was also targeted following the sentencing of former resident Sadeq Nikzad to nine years in prison for the rape of a 15-year-old girl.
At the start of November, Highland Council officials sought urgent clarification from the Home Office on the plans. They previously indicated that around 60 asylum seekers could arrive weekly from mid-December, with the barracks to be used for 12 months before returning to military operations.
However, a council report flagged concerns about the size of the proposal, the likelihood of protests, and the potential for the site to attract individuals intent on inciting violence or hatred.
A council spokesperson said a multi-agency group, including NHS Highland, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish government, Cosla, and the Home Office, now meets weekly to prepare for the arrival of asylum seekers and apply lessons from best practice.
