Government urged to "lift secrecy" over Haslar removal centre plans

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

Gosport Borough Council leader Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM 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 the authority’s formal response as local planning authority. Instead, it sets out broader concerns about democratic accountability, the impact on residents and the need for meaningful engagement.

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

Cllr 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.”

The council said documents had been published only after months of delay and that substantial redactions had prevented residents and elected representatives from fully scrutinising the proposals.

The letter also highlights concerns raised by residents over quality of life, security, wellbeing and confidence in the future of their neighbourhood.

A proposed community liaison panel would not replace the planning process or give residents a veto over the Home Secretary’s decision, Cllr Huggins said.

Instead, it would provide a formal route for people to raise concerns and receive information during construction and operation of the centre.

Its role could include issuing construction updates, handling complaints, managing noise, dust and traffic, communicating access changes and providing residents with a named point of contact.

The panel could also coordinate communication between the Home Office, council, elected representatives, relevant agencies, emergency services and the Gosport community.

In the letter, Cllr 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 Ms Mahmood to meet councillors and Home Office officials to discuss concerns.