Skylark Hotel in Essex housing asylum seekers as national debate intensifies

The Skylark Hotel in Southend remains closed to the public and in use as accommodation for people seeking asylum, more than three years after it was first contracted by the government.

The Aviation Way hotel, which sits next to Southend Airport, was originally brought into the Home Office’s contingency accommodation scheme in 2022 on a 12-month deal. That contract has since reportedly been extended several times, and asylum seekers, including some family groups, are still living there today.

Once a ‘four-star’ hotel catering for business travellers, weddings, and airport passengers, the Skylark is now being pulled into a debate that reflects the wider national arguments about the UK’s asylum system.

The hotel has 76 rooms, set in seven acres of land, and was once regarded as a convenient and modern hotel, with a restaurant and bar open to the public.

It was also used by Rochford Council in the past for short-term emergency accommodation for homeless people.

In 2022, Southend West Conservative MP Anna Firth criticised the government’s choice of venue:
“The use of Skylark Hotel on the border of my constituency near Eastwood is totally inappropriate for housing asylum seekers. We need to crack down on evil criminal gangs smuggling individuals into danger across the Channel and speed up processing at the Manston facility.”

At the same time, Labour councillor Lydia Hyde, stressed Southend’s history of welcoming those fleeing war and persecution but highlighted concerns about the hotel’s isolated location:
“I hope they receive a peaceful welcome and fair treatment in the UK. However, I do believe we need better and more effective action on closing down illegal routes to this country, and offer much better legal routes to the UK that offer safe and humane passage to those needing it. The UK plays an important part in providing safe refuge for those fleeing conflict and persecution abroad, and this should absolutely continue.”

She added:
“I question the suitability of the location of this centre as Aviation Way is mostly an industrial area lacking in good transport links. There are no immediate facilities or activities for those awaiting the processing of their asylum claim. Asylum seekers are welcome in our country and Southend has a proud tradition of supporting those who arrive on our shores in need but I must say that the fact that routes operated by traffickers and criminals still remain open is a shame on our country.”

Impact on local amenities

In a report prepared for Southend Council, the Education Board was asked to approve extra funding for Southend schools that were experiencing the “unexpected intake of asylum seeker pupils”.

In 2023, asylum seeker families living at the Skylark Hotel were sending at least 20 children to schools in Southend including Chase High School, Heycroft Primary School and Eastwood Primary.

The schools were reporting “a significant impact” from the intake of the pupils, due to already stretched resources and the additional needs of the children – such as being able to learn English language.

The schools were therefore asking for extra funding that would be used for language lessons, tech support for translation of classroom material, and where possible, funds would support the pupils with access to clubs, trips and activities.

The report recommended the funding should be granted stating that “the initial number of families housed at the hotel were unexpected and more children are expected in the coming months” and that “the funding would support schools with the children’s integration into school.”

The wider debate

The use of hotels for asylum accommodation remains one of the most divisive issues in British politics currently. Critics argue it places pressure on local services and is an unsuitable long-term solution, while others point out that the lack of safe and legal routes into the UK, combined with a backlog in asylum applications, has created the need for such measures.

The Skylark, operated by Travelforce Limited and owned by Andreas Stavrinides, was once marketed as an “ideal venue” for travellers, weddings and conferences.

Its future as a hotel remains uncertain while the government continues to rely on it as part of the wider asylum system.