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Date submitted

24 July 2026

Submitted by

Interested party

Dear Planning Inspectorate, I am writing to object to the proposed expansion of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre. The application reference is CROWN/2026/0000004. I object to the proposal on several grounds. Firstly, this will more than double the size of Campsfield, and this expansion will be on land earmarked for the Green Belt. As a local resident, I am concerned about the harm to the land that is important both for environmental reasons, and for our future generations having access to nature and space. I am also concerned about local ecology, protected species and important sites will be impacted. Secondly, also as a local resident, I am objecting because this will add pressure to local roads, services and infrastructure. This feeds in to my third objection - the plan for Campsfield does not take into account local plans already in place for the area. There is already infrastructure plans for a new stadium in Kidlington, and nearer to Campsfield around Yarnton and Begroke there is planning for science and technology buildings. This area is part of growth and cultivation of STEM that is important locally and nationally. My fourth objection is national, too. In order to put this through the Campsfield plans are going down a different route than usual local plans, the crown development route. This means that a national need should be obvious and proven. The Home Office has not clearly shown a need for 240 additional spaces. There are alternative to detention and other estate options that have not been shown to be insufficient. The plans note cost as a factor, I am concerned that important information has been redacted or withheld, along side details of the layout, transport, lighting, landscaping and how the site would operate. As well as not being clear about the national need and how the cost of this saves money, redactions and withheld information make it difficult for the public to consult. Immigration detention causes serious harm to the people detained, and its effects are felt by families, communities, legal and advice services, health services and local residents. Expanding Campsfield would therefore have significant human and community consequences. As well as planning objections and objections about the impact on our local community, which have not been clearly assessed or presented, I object to this model of detention. There is not a national need for these detention centers, which time and again have been shown to be inhumane. Conditions when inspected are constantly being shown to be terrible. Stephen Shaw's review in 2018 caused the government to reassess detention models and close centres like Campsfield. There has not been a change since then, subsequent inspections and reports show maybe a little progress here or there on conditions, with a lot o scrutiny, but there is no substantial change to this model. I object on planning grounds, and on moral grounds. For these reasons, I ask that the application is refused. If it is not refused at this stage, I ask that it be examined through a full public inquiry. Yours faithfully, Robbie Thielker 24/07/2026