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Date submitted

29 July 2026

Submitted by

Interested party

I want to record my objections to the proposed expansion of Haslar Immigration Removal Centre (application ref: CROWN/2026/0000005). The proposal would see Haslar's capacity expanding more than four-fold – from 130 to 600 beds. This would be a huge expansion at any tine, but the proposal seeks this enacted before the refurbished 130-bed centre has even reopened. Environmental concerns are a huge worry. These include flood risk, coastal safety, emergency evacuation and climate change. Specifically: • The Haslar IRC is next to the Solent. Some parts of the site are in Flood Zone 3, at high risk of flooding by the sea. • Climate change exacerbates this – the risk of flood is predicted to increase steadily as sea levels rise and storms become more frequent. Forecasts cited in the application estimate sea-level rising by 2125 as much as 1.47 metres. • Surface water flooding is another risk which could impact access to and from the site. This is particularly significant given the building's function as a secure detention centre with tightly controlled access. There seems to be little consideration for the welfare of anyone held in detention at Haslar; by the very nature of their circumstance the opportunity to leave the site in case of flood warning, severe weather, the failure of flood defences would be restricted. The very inclusion of the Flood Evacuation Management Plan by the Home Office highlights just how serious an issue this is. Yet the proposal to massively expand the site without any thorough testing at the current capacity seems reckless and over-optimistic. • The scale of the expansion will inevitably have a dramatic impact on traffic, parking, healthcare, noise, waste, drainage and emergency services. The local infrastructure is not capable of handling growth of this degree • Public access to the coast, local ecology and local heritage are all likely to suffer. The proposal fails to adequately explain why expansion on this scale is required at Haslar. Immigration detention is proven to cause serious harm to those detained, their families and communities. This in turn impacts legal and advice services, health services and local people. So expanding Haslar would have serious human and community consequences. Trials run for the Home Office and evaluated by the UN no less have shown that community-based alternatives to detention are viable. Immigration cases can be properly managed without depriving the application of the liberty more economically and fairly. The rationale of the Home Office's application for outline planning permission, with only access being decided initially, raises more questions. How can the public properly judge the prospect of a 600-bed Haslar IRC when so many significant practical issues remain outstanding? This application should be refused. If not refused at this stage, it must face the rigours of a full public inquiry. I would like to attend any hearing scheduled for the proposal, subject to my availability. thank you Gareth Glynn 29 July 2026