Pictures show inside converted Wethersfield Airfield as first asylum seekers move in
The new asylum centre, which has a sports centre and GP surgery, will be "fully functional" by autumn
Video footage shows the inside of a former RAF airbase that has been converted to house asylum seekers.
The first 46 asylum seekers - all single adult men - moved into Wethersfield Airfield, Essex, on Wednesday.
The Home Office said the asylum centre will be "fully functional" by autumn, with up to 1,700 adult men there.
Pictures show the housing blocks the men will be living in - which resemble a hostel. One room is fitted with three beds, with a shared toilet and shower.
There is a separate dining hall with a canteen.
Recreation facilities include an indoor multi-functional hall - which can be used for basketball or badminton - and a gym with exercise machines.
The briefing centre is where the men will be brought in when they arrive. They will be given a welcome pack containing toiletries and details, in a person’s own language, on “what it is to be a good neighbour”.
A medical centre will act as an on-site GP surgery.
Cheryl Avery, director for asylum accommodation for the Home Office, said there are “a lot of facilities on site to ensure that people are fully occupied”.
She said the site is run by a contractor and manned 24/7 with CCTV cameras in place.
People will not stay at the site for more than nine months, she said.
The first asylum seekers were brought into Wethersfield from a processing facility in Kent over the weekend, and had arrived into the country from small boats.
Plans to turn the airfield into an asylum centre have been controversial.
There have been protests against the government's plans, with people saying the airfield is not an appropriate site.
And Braintree District Council tried to block the plans but lost its High Court bid and an appeal.
About 51,000 asylum seekers are living in hotels across the UK, costing taxpayers about £6 million a day - or £2.3 billion a year.
It is hoped that housing them in sites like RAF Wethersfield will reduce costs.
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