Home Office pledges to address concerns over Haslar Immigration Removal Centre works
The Home Office has pledged to address the concerns of residents who live near the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre which is being revamped and brought back into use.
Residents have been experiencing parking problems in the area, with contractors parking their vehicles on the roads as no provision has been made for them on site during the works. They have also expressed concerns about a lack of information about the progress of works on the site with very few updates about the project and its timescales being shared.
As previously reported by The News, works are ongoing to refurbish the removal centre to bring it up to standard in the first of two phases for the site in Dolphin Way which closed in 2015. It follows an unexpected announcement in 2022 it was to be revamped and brought back into use as part of the government’s plans to speed up the removal of failed asylum seekers and migrants who have committed crimes in the UK.
The first phase will see 130 beds created in the refurbished accommodation, with a second phase to follow creating an additional 600 beds in the future to allow higher levels of enforcement and returns for those who have had their claim for asylum rejected. However, this will require planning permission to be granted by Gosport Borough Council before it can go ahead.
Among the concerns raised by local residents at a recent public meeting is that holes have been drilled into the outer wall of the site for electric charging cables. They said this appears to be so that private and company cars can be charged directly from the Haslar site, which the Interim Chair of Reform UK Gosport Paul Carter has dubbed as “theft from the public purse”.
Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has also previously expressed her frustration at the lack of clarity with the local community about the project, including the timescales,
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A Home Office spokesperson said it has also sought close links with the community and will work with the site team to address the concerns which have been raised. They said it was working with partners and onsite contractors to ensure that vehicles accessing the site are parked in a safe way, and to minimise any impact to the surrounding roads and residential areas.
In a statement they said: “The Home Office has always sought to develop the site in close consultation with the local community. We take any concerns raised by local residents very seriously and we will continue to work closely with our partners and onsite contractors to investigate and address those concerns.
“This Government is committed to ramping up the removal of people with no right to be in the UK, and we have already seen more than 35,000 people returned to their home countries in our first year in office, including a 14 per cent increase in the removal of foreign national offenders and a 28 per cent increase in asylum-related returns.
“Opening Haslar IRC will boost our capacity to maintain this higher pace of removals and immigration enforcement.”
The spokesperson added that plans for Phase two of the development will include a car park that will be available for both staff and visitors, and added the Home Office was working closely with key stakeholders to develop the requirements for this, taking into consideration the local community.
The Home Office pointed to the dedicated page on its website, published in June, which it said provides updates to the local community. This can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/haslar-immigration-removal-centre-factsheet.
The Home Office has added that there will also be an opportunity for local residents to view the proposed plans and raise any questions at a public engagement event, due to take place in early Autumn 2025.