CROWN/2026/0000005 Sara Walls
- Date submitted
- 6 August 2026
- Submitted by
- Interested party
I am writing to formally object to the above Crown planning application regarding the expansion of the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre to a 600-bed facility. While I recognize the national context of the application, I strongly object on the grounds of severe highway safety issues, infrastructure incapacity, and a lack of transparency regarding site viability.My objection focuses on the following Material Planning Considerations: 1. Severe Highway Safety and Capacity Pressures The Haslar site sits on a highly constrained geographic peninsula off the main Gosport peninsula. Access to the site relies entirely on narrow, minor residential roads that are completely unsuitable for the volume and nature of traffic this 600-bed facility will generate. Traffic Volume: A 600-bed facility requires an immense logistical operation. The road network will face a continuous influx of staff shift changes, HGV deliveries (food, medical, and waste supplies), facility cleaners, legal visitors, and emergency services. Road Suitability: The surrounding access routes are minor residential streets heavily used by local families. They feature extensive on-street parking, creating narrow single-lane bottlenecks. Forcing large commercial vehicles and constant commuter traffic through these residential areas creates a direct, severe hazard to pedestrian and highway safety. 2. Lack of Transparency and Viability Assessment A significant portion of the application and supporting documentation has been heavily redacted, severely limiting the public's ability to scrutinize the development's true impact.There is no clear, publicly accessible evidence that a robust, independent Transport Assessment (TA) has been conducted to model the cumulative impact of these vehicle movements on our specific local roads.Without an open, transparent review of the local traffic infrastructure, the site cannot be deemed viable or safe for an expansion of this magnitude. 3. Summary of Negative Impact on Local Amenity. The compounding traffic, potential night-time disturbances from shift patterns, and the sheer scale of forcing 600 beds onto a restricted coastal peninsula will cause significant detriment to the general living conditions and quality of life for nearby residents. The local road network simply cannot cope. For these reasons, I urge the Planning Inspectorate to recognize that the residual cumulative transport impacts of this development are severe, and to refuse the planning application in its current form