Formal plans to expand Haslar Immigration Removal Centre have finally been unveiled.
The Home Office lodged its application via the Crown Development route, bypassing Gosport Borough Council and sending the plans directly to the Secretary of State for a decision.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP for Gosport, was quick to condemn the decision and the inclusion of new, three-storey accommodation blocks within the plans.
She said: “It’s ludicrous that the Government will not allow significant engagement with Gosport people and their democratic representatives over the new plans for Haslar IRC.
“Those plans are measurably different now to those produced under the previous Government.
“There needs to be more opportunity for people to have their say, especially as the new buildings are taller and will have more impact on the community.”
The plans, now publicly available on the Planning Inspectorate’s website, show the full scope of the proposed phase two expansion at the Gosport waterfront site.
Under phase one, which is already underway, around 130 bed spaces will be created in refurbished accommodation. But future expansion is expected to push total capacity up to 600 beds, which the Home Office says are “urgently needed”.
Planning documents state that demand for immigration detention capacity “vastly outstrips supply”, adding that the development would deliver “nationally important infrastructure” and create jobs during construction and throughout the lifetime of the centre.
The documents state that there is an “urgent and pressing need” for the provision of additional IRC accommodation.
But the expansion has been the subject of ongoing debate in the borough, with concerns raised about capacity, infrastructure and the impact on nearby communities.
Now, Gosport Conservatives have tabled a motion at an upcoming borough council meeting opposing the three-storey buildings.
The motion is proposed by Conservative Anglesey ward councillor Alan Scard and seconded by fellow ward councillor Robbie Beech.
It calls on the council leader Zoe Huggins BEM to write to the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood opposing the Crown Development process, what she describes as secrecy surrounding the plans, and the height of the proposed buildings.
Cllr Scard said: “We promised residents that we would oppose the expansion of the Immigration Removal Centre, and this motion delivers on that commitment.
“Three-storey buildings were never presented to residents at the initial meeting and should not be allowed to proceed.”
Cllr Huggins added that the motion shows that the new Conservative administration is “already delivering on the promises we made to residents.”
The public consultation closes on July 24 via the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
Haslar plans finally unveiled as MP brands process 'ludicrous'
