Car park sold to Home Office branded a ‘cash-grab’ move
A car park has been sold to the Home Office in a move branded by opposition councillors as a “cash-grab”.
Councillors at Gosport Borough Council voted to sell the car park in Fort Road as part of an immigration removal centre expansion.
The car park is next door to the Haslar Immigration Centre and has been used temporarily by the Home Office staff as the works continue to bring Haslar back into use after it was closed a decade ago.
As previously reported by The News, work is ongoing to refurbish the Dolphin Way site to create 130 beds and bring it up to standard following its closure in 2015. It follows an unexpected announcement in 2022 it was to be revamped and brought back into use, with works on this first phase expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
The decision was made in a closed meeting of the Policy and Organisation Board on Monday, where members of the public and press were not allowed to attend due to commercial sensitivity.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP for Gosport, previously said she was “very concerned” by the decision to hold the meeting in private.
Conservative Cllr Lesley Meenaghan, who represents Leesland and Town, voted against the sale, along with fellow Tory councillors Stephen Philpott and Zoe Huggins BEM.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Meenaghan said: “This is just a cash grab. The car park will not stay in our possession, and we cannot determine what we are going to do with it.
“It is very disappointing, but it is not surprising.”
Gosport Borough Council has been approached for a comment.
A second phase will follow creating an additional 600 beds for men to allow higher levels of enforcement and returns for those who have had their claim for asylum rejected.
Residents were told the new accommodation buildings will be up to 12 meters high, and have supporting facilities including interview rooms, medical facilities, a cultural kitchen and a shop. There will also be security fencing, with the men detained at the centre unable to leave, and carparking for local residents.