🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Copthorne

Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick

Migrant hotel Former hotel 📍 Copthorne Way, Copthorne, West Sussex, RH10 3PG, UK Capacity: 1,290 Converted: 2021

Was: A large, modern four-star Millennium and Copthorne hotel featuring over 200 bedrooms.

Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick is a sprawling former four-star commercial hotel situated near Crawley and Gatwick Airport in West Sussex. Beginning in 2021, the facility was utilized by the UK government for the Afghan Resettlement Programme before transitioning in 2022 to a mainline Home Office contract housing single asylum seekers and families.

Context & Community Impact: The site's scale has made it a major point of political contention. Local Member of Parliament Mims Davies issued public statements noting that this single hotel houses more asylum seekers than the entirety of neighboring Surrey. It became a high-profile flashpoint for UK-wide anti-migrant protests in August 2025, which saw heavy police deployment to manage large crowds demanding the hotel's return to commercial use.

Funding & Operations: The hotel is fully block-booked by the central government, with daily operations managed by Home Office contractors. Recent estimates suggest the operational cost for block-booking the site runs well above the national average due to its sheer size, generating massive revenue for the hotel owners at taxpayer expense.

Location

Official contacts & outreach

Requests we have sent to councils, mayors and local authorities about this facility, with the status of their response.

Freedom of Information Officer, Mid Sussex District Council City council Awaiting response

Requested: 7 Oct 2026

What we asked: Please provide a summary of the financial resources or emergency funds utilized by Mid Sussex District Council to manage public safety, emergency services, and community cohesion surrounding the Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick during the August 2025 protests.

What formal representations or impact assessments has the council submitted to the Home Office detailing the strain on local healthcare, policing, and social services caused by housing up to 1,000 asylum seekers at this single site?

Has the council been given any formal timeline or exit strategy by the Home Office or Clearsprings Ready Homes regarding when the Copthorne Way site will be decommissioned as an asylum facility and returned to commercial use?

← Back to United Kingdom Submit a place for review →