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Date submitted

30 July 2026

Submitted by

Interested party

Planning Inspectorate c/o QUADIENT 69 Buckingham Avenue Slough, SL1 4PN 30th July 2026 Reference: Application CROWN/2026/0000005 – Haslar Immigration Removal Centre Expansion Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing as a local resident to strongly object to the proposed expansion of the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre under application reference CROWN/2026/0000005. The public consultation process has lacked transparency. Residents were initially told buildings would not exceed the height of existing structures, yet this application includes three-storey blocks. Furthermore, bypassing Gosport Borough Council and using the Crown Development procedure denies local people a fair, accountable planning process. My primary objections are as follows: Overdevelopment and Local Heritage: The scale, height, and utilitarian design of the proposed three-storey blocks will cause significant harm to the Haslar Barracks Conservation Area and surrounding historic assets. It undermines major local regeneration efforts at Royal Hospital Haslar and Fort Blockhouse. Loss of Housing: This site was originally identified for around 225 homes (including 40% affordable housing). Developing an expanded detention centre instead directly deprives Gosport of much-needed residential housing. Traffic and Access Constraints: The Haslar Peninsula already suffers from constrained access along Fort Road. Adding an estimated 774 daily vehicle movements without properly accounting for cumulative traffic from surrounding new developments—or providing a clear, funded public transport plan—will severely disrupt the local road network. Pressure on Local Services: Gosport’s NHS and primary care services are already stretched. Relying on local hospitals and emergency services for up to 600 detained individuals creates an unsustainable burden on local infrastructure, particularly given the lack of a local ambulance station. Environmental & Flood Concerns: A large portion of the site sits in Flood Zones 2 and 3. Raising floor levels by up to 1.27 metres increases visual impact and highlights clear safety risks regarding emergency evacuation. Additionally, the application relies on outdated ecological surveys and fails to protect local protected species and nearby conservation areas. Disturbance and Unclear Future Use: Continuous 24/7 operations, night-time arrivals, and high turn-over rates will bring unacceptable noise, lighting, and vehicle disturbance to nearby homes. Lighting plans matching Category C prison standards also raise serious concerns about what this facility may become in the future. For these reasons, I ask that this application be refused. Given the significant public impact, heavily redacted documentation, and lack of transparency, this matter should at the very least be determined through a full Public Inquiry rather than written representations alone. Yours sincerely, ███████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████