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Date submitted

24 July 2026

Submitted by

Interested party

Dear Planning Inspectorate, We are writing to object to the proposed expansion of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre. The application reference is CROWN/2026/0000004. This is a joint submission from Global Women Against Deportations, a coalition of organisations based at the Crossroads Women’s Centre working with women asylum seekers and refugees, many of whom are survivors of rape and other violence, lesbian/trans/bi, disabled, and former detainees. Among us are women who have direct experience of the serious harm that immigration detention causes. The horrifying impact of detention on women, children and other vulnerable people is well documented and well publicised, primarily because of the bravery of detainees, including those at Campsfield who went on hunger strikes, organised rooftop protests, mass sit-outs and escapes, and because of the tireless campaigning of the Campaign to Close Campsfield and many others. Some of the organisations within GWAD were the main support for women hunger strikers in Yarl’s Wood Removal Centre for over a decade. Women protested: being separated from children; denial of healthcare; indefinite detention and a regime of regime of predatory sexual abuse (including racist sexual abuse) by guards. There has never been any accountability for this. Instead of acknowledging the terrible harm caused to women and ensuring redress, the Government is expanding the detention system in which that abuse occurred. That is unacceptable. We wrote about rape in Yarl’s Wood here: https://womenagainstrape.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Report2015.pdf [1] Imprisoning traumatised and vulnerable people is inhumane and sadistic. From our work supporting women in detention, we know that Home Office claims that vulnerable people will be screened out are meaningless because the system is organised to stop people accessing the help they need. Provision of adequate legal services has never been achieved by the Home Office or contracted providers in any detention centre. In fact, recent research shows that access to legal advice in detention has reached a record low.[2] Detention leads to segregation. Segregation aims to stamp out compassion, encouraging us to fear and hate those who have been locked up by claiming that too many of "them" will take our jobs, homes and public services. In reality, it is the witch-hunting of asylum seekers (and Muslim people) that fuels racism and racist violence against all people of colour. This has allowed the far right to become more visible and more confident, and that divisiveness is destructive to society and leaves us all less safe. The planning committee should take these wider consequences into account when considering this application, particularly their impact on community cohesion. We understand that Home Office has not clearly shown why 240 additional places are needed at Campsfield, nor have alternatives to detention centres been properly considered. We’re also concerned that key information is being withheld or redacted, including details of the layout, transport, lighting, landscaping and how the site would operate. These omissions make it virtually impossible for those of us who are very concerned about these plans and want the details of the full impact of the proposed expansion on every aspect of community life. In these circumstances, we consider the Planning Authority has a duty to consider whether the extension of Campsfield is compliant the wellbeing of the residents of the area (including the detainees). We’re also objecting to the planning proposal on environmental grounds because it would more than double the size of Campsfield, from 160 to 400 places, on Green Belt land in a climate crisis when preserving green spaces across the UK is more urgent than ever. We are concerned that the expansion would strip the community land, make the site more built up by increasing concreted areas, adding pressure to local roads, services and infrastructure all of which bring long term harm to the accessibility and biodiversity of precious and finite green space. This is especially important because the proposal would involve permanent and probably irreversible development on what is protected land. For these reasons, we ask that the Planning Inspectorate refuse the application to expand Campsfield House IRC. If it is not refused at this stage, we ask that it be thoroughly examined through a full and transparent public inquiry. Signed by: All African Women’s Group, Legal Action for Women, Women Against Rape, Women of Colour in Global Women’s Strike 24 July 2026