Call for open inquiry into immigration centre

Plans for an expanded immigration removal centre should face an open inquiry, a council leader has said.

Gosport Borough Council's Zoe Huggins has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urging the government to provide greater transparency over proposals for Haslar Immigration Removal Centre.

The letter, agreed by the full council, is separate from its formal response as the local planning authority and sets out concerns about democratic accountability, the impact on residents and the need for meaningful engagement.

The Home Office said it encouraged residents and stakeholders to share their views.

The existing centre, which closed in 2015, is currently being redeveloped and is due to reopen with 130 beds in 2027.

The extra accommodation would be in new buildings on adjoining seafront land owned by the Home Office.

Tory MP for Gosport Dame Caroline Dinenage has previously called the plans "deeply disappointing".

The new letter calls on the Home Office to support an open inquiry, reduce redactions in published documents and establish a community liaison panel.

Huggins said the council was not attempting to decide the planning merits of the application through the letter but wanted a process in which residents could have confidence.

She said: "The government has taken this decision out of the hands of Gosport's planning process and local accountability. There is currently no way for local voices to be properly heard and we are asking government to fix that.

"It's vital there is transparency around decisions like this, and we need the opportunity to see full details of the plans and share Gosport residents' concerns."

Huggins said the Haslar scheme was among the first major proposals to use the new Crown Development planning process and should "set a benchmark for openness, transparency and public accountability".

The council has asked Mahmood to meet councillors and Home Office officials to discuss concerns.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "All Crown Development planning applications require extensive engagement, and we encourage residents and stakeholders to share their views through the formal process.

"We make no apology for significantly expanding our detention capacity which will see more foreign criminals and illegal migrants removed over the coming decade."