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Date submitted

30 July 2026

Submitted by

Interested party

I am writing to object to the proposed expansion of Haslar Immigration Removal Centre. CROWN/2026/0000005. I object because the proposal would expand Haslar into a 600-bed detention centre which is four times the size of the current centre which has not even been reopened after refurbishment. This is planned as locked, secure detention centre, in an area of high flood risk. Detainees would not be free to leave in the event of flooding. Will the detainees, staff. visitors, emergency services etc. be safe? However my main concern is about the expansion of detention facilities. There are alternatives to detention, which are not only more humane but would also be less expensive - why has the Home Office not taken these possibilities into account? Apparently the details about the expanded 600-bed unit have not been finalised or made public, with information being withheld as being too sensitive, so it is impossible for the public to understand the full impact. The UK is unusual in that people can held in immigration detention indefinitely - this causes causes serious harm not only to people detained there, but to their families and the communities to which they belong. Expanding Haslar would have serious human and community consequences. For these reasons, I ask that the application is refused. If it is not refused at this stage, I ask that it is examined through a full public inquiry. Yours faithfully, Barbara Forbes