Russell-Cooke represents Crowborough Shield CIC in High Court judicial review application
Russell-Cooke has been instructed by Crowborough Shield CIC in its application for judicial review of the Home Office’s decision to designate the Crowborough Training Camp (a Ministry of Defence training camp located in a residential area of Sussex) to accommodate those seeking asylum in the UK.
Crowborough Shield is a non-political residents’ group established to protect the interests and wellbeing of Crowborough and its surrounding communities.
The group is seeking to challenge the lawfulness of the decision, claiming that the consultation was inadequate, that the process lacked required transparency and breached environmental and planning obligations.
The Russell-Cooke team is led by legal director Alix Rejman, working with associate Lui Asquith, under the direction of partner Michael Stacey .
About the case
The application does not challenge the Government’s general asylum policy. Rather, it focuses on the lawfulness of the decision-making process in respect of this particular site, including whether consultation was adequate, planning requirements were complied with, and local impacts were properly assessed.
To move ahead with the case, Crowborough Shield must obtain the High Court’s agreement that the legal case has sufficient merit at a hearing on the 25 February 2026.
Key grounds of the proposed judicial review
Crowborough Shield argues that the decision was unlawful on the following grounds:
- Failure to follow proper statutory procedure, including whether the Home Office relied on emergency powers without meeting the legal threshold and whether mandatory consultation with local authorities, service providers, and residents should have been undertaken.
- Unlawful circumvention of planning controls, on the basis that the decision may have constituted a material change of use requiring planning permission, environmental assessment, or compliance with existing site restrictions.
- Irrationality and lack of evidence‑based assessment, particularly in relation to capacity, safeguarding, health and safety compliance, and the suitability of the training camp for large-scale residential accommodation.
- Failure to take relevant considerations into account, including access to services, pressures on local infrastructure, security considerations, and the potential impact on Crowborough Shield’s existing operations and contractual obligations.
Next steps
The claim is currently at the permission stage, at which the court will determine whether the grounds advanced are arguable and warrant a full hearing. If permission is granted, the High Court will subsequently consider whether the decision to designate the camp was lawful.
Decisions like this require clarity, transparency and proper regard for environmental and planning obligations. Crowborough Shield CIC has raised serious concerns about whether the Government’s legal duties were met. The ability of groups like Crowborough Shield to seek judicial scrutiny of the lawfulness of government decisions and processes is an important constitutional safeguard, helping to ensure that decisions of this nature are taken lawfully based on all relevant considerations and the views of those most directly affected.
About the team
Russell-Cooke's regulation and public law team specialises in public law, administrative law, and planning and environmental challenges. The firm has acted in numerous judicial review claims addressing procedural fairness, the use of emergency powers, and the adequacy of central‑government decision‑making.
Get in touch
If you would like to speak with a member of the team you can contact our regulation and public law solicitors by telephone on +44 (0)20 3826 7524 or complete our enquiry form.
