House prices have reportedly plummeted in a UK town after plans were confirmed to expand an illegal migrant detention centre. Furious locals have spoken out about the situation, with one describing it as “hell on earth”.
The Haslar Immigration Detention Centre in Gosport, Hampshire, currently houses illegal migrants and foreign criminals awaiting deportation. The plans, originally proposed by the Conservative Party but now being delivered by the Labour Government, will see the centre expand from 150 to 600 beds across three storeys. The expansion will make the centre one of the largest of its kind in Europe.
As reported by GB News, building work on the expansion in Gosport has been taking place for around two years, typically starting at around 6am every morning. Locals have now spoken out, describing their lives as “hell on earth”.
Dave Wakefield, 69, lives opposite the site and questioned: “We know it is going to be different – how can you go from 150 to 600 people?” He has raised concerns about staffing numbers and how the expanded centre is going to be governed.
Meanwhile, a second resident said locals feel like “prisoners in our own homes”. She said some people are struggling to sell their homes as their property values have fallen by as much as £25,000 since the plans emerged.
The project is being controlled by ministers rather than local councils as it’s classified as nationally important. However, Gosport MP Dame Caroline Dinenage (Conservative) has raised the issue in Parliament and written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to argue Gosport Borough Council should handle the planning application.
She said in the letter: “It takes decision-making away from local people and into the hands of civil servants and Labour politicians in Whitehall. I have serious concerns that the Government are trying to push this application through with minimal scrutiny, which isn’t acceptable.”
According to a Home Office-funded assessment, the expansion of the centre will generate 341 additional jobs. The assessment states the employment boost “has the potential to provide opportunity to local people who are currently unemployed or with poor labour market contributions, as well as through apprenticeship opportunities providing wider social value in the borough.”
The government has also claimed it will contribute £19.7 million a year to the local economy. The first detainees are expected to arrive at the expanded centre next spring.