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Date submitted

30 July 2026

Submitted by

Interested party

I am objecting to this phase 2 build because at no point has the health and wellbeing of local people been taken into consideration during Phase 1 of the build which will continue into phase 2 unless something positive changes. We have had to put up with contractor noise, air pollution from demolition of buildings, contractor movements of heavy lorries and inconsiderate contractors who refuse to park in the designated car park. This has gone on for nearly two years with a prediction of it taking another 3 years if permission is granted for phase 2. It should be the local council not crown development making the decision. 600, male illegal detainees, when the facility is at full capacity, being a few yards from our homes is worrying. It is a disgrace the way we have been treated. We appear to be ‘invisible’ to the organisations that have made the decision to re-open and expand the IRC and they don’t appear to care about the impact this is having on the local community especially those living in close proximity to the facility. The original plan was to have 2 storey accommodation blocks which has now been changed to 3 storeys. This will cause more stress and upset for neighbours who will be both overlooking and overlooked by this development. The planned buildings are not in keeping with the local area as they will not blend in with what is here already. I understand that movement to the site of detainees will be day and night. Has anybody given consideration as to how this will affect the neighbouring properties with lack of sleep as vehicles enter and exit the site 24/7 365 days a year! Over 700 vehicles will be entering and exiting on a daily basis onto a residential road. The proposed car park will not be big enough to accommodate that amount of traffic causing chaos. Communication has been dire from the start. We asked right at the beginning to be kept up to date on the build but this has fallen on deaf ears. We need to have someone as point of contact so that we can air our concerns and worries through one channel of communication. The bottom of my fence line is 1.98mtrs from the IRC fence line and what will be the recreational part of the IRC. What mitigations will be put into place so that we will not be able to see these detainees walking around in beautiful, landscaped gardens and that they won’t be able to see into our homes? Once the facility is fully open and the adjoining car park is open, what will be put into place to help with the light pollution that this will cause? The now ‘IRC’ temporary car park, which was sold by the council, was where people could walk dogs, enjoy walking and have access to the sea wall. This was ripped apart to make way for a temporary contractor car park. Birds and animals were displaced and wildflowers destroyed. Bats frequently fly around in our garden which backs onto the site. This land had, as a condition of sale on it, that it was for the people of Gosport but this has now been taken away from us. The way the car park was sold, in a closed meeting, was disgraceful as the notification of its’ disposal was a small add in the newspaper which only came to light a few days before objections had to be submitted giving local people little time to object. The proposed car park for phase 1 and Phase 2 will not be big enough when phase 1 is finally opened as phase 2, if given planning permission, will be in the process of being built with 100s of contractors on site as well as staff and visitors working in phase 1. Despite reductions below agents’ valuations, buyers are absent as people try to sell their houses. This is not solely due to the market but due to the building works and the uncertainty of what comes next. The building of the proposed phase 2 will have a massive impact on the local community and should not proceed. The permission whether to grant or oppose phase 2 should be given to the local council and not someone in London who knows nothing about the area and people living here!