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UK Home Office Updates Haslar Immigration Removal Centre Factsheet, Confirming Redevelopment Plans and Increased Capacit

🇬🇧 United KingdomBorder Security1 recorded versionLast change 4 Sept 2026
ConfidenceVery high · 100%

Current rules

The 4 September 2026 update confirms the government's current plans for the redevelopment and expansion of Haslar Immigration Removal Centre in Gosport, Hampshire. The centre is expected to reopen in 2027 following refurbishment of existing buildings and construction work. Phase 1 will provide around 130 detention places through refurbishment of existing accommodation. Phase 2 would add around 470 further places, increasing the centre's total capacity to around 600, but this expansion remains subject to planning permission and the necessary approvals. The Home Office says the main contractor for Phase 2 has already been appointed and is initially undertaking design and project-development work. Planning permission for Phase 2 is being pursued through the Crown Development process. The Home Office says it has consulted the local planning authority and other stakeholders, including local councillors, Members of Parliament, police, fire and health services, and independent oversight bodies. The redeveloped centre is intended to provide secure accommodation for detained men, including time-served foreign national offenders and immigration offenders. The Home Office says facilities for detained people will be provided on site, while healthcare provision is being procured through NHS England. It also states that there will be no impact on primary healthcare services provided within the local community. The updated factsheet also states that the government considers immigration detention necessary as part of an effective returns system and intends to use investments such as Haslar to support increased removals of people who have no legal right to remain in the UK.

Overview

On 4 September 2026, the UK Home Office published an updated factsheet detailing the ongoing redevelopment of the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in Gosport. This update confirms the government's commitment to opening a redeveloped facility in 2027, which will eventually provide approximately 600 bed spaces. The factsheet provides a summary of developments, including the two-phase construction approach and details on operational aspects, security, healthcare, and cost management.

Who is affected by the latest change

  • People who are lawfully detained at Haslar once the centre opens
  • Foreign national offenders who are detained under immigration powers while waiting for removal
  • Other immigration offenders who meet the current legal conditions for immigration detention
  • People subject to immigration enforcement and removal action who may later be detained at Haslar
  • Staff, contractors, and service providers who will operate or support the redeveloped centre
  • Local interested parties involved in planning, developing, and operating the facility

What changed in the latest version

Before

Haslar used to be an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). An Immigration Removal Centre is a place where people are held while the government processes their immigration cases or prepares to remove them from the UK. It closed in 2016. The old centre had 198 beds. The government later decided to redevelop the site. It will reopen as an Immigration Removal Centre. Under the current redevelopment plan, the first stage will refurbish existing buildings. It will not immediately build the full, expanded centre. This stage is expected to create about 130 beds. The larger expansion still depends on getting planning permission and other necessary approvals. Immigration detention itself still follows existing immigration powers. Home Office policy says that detention to remove people should only happen if there is a real chance of removing them soon. People in immigration detention can also get immigration bail. This can be from the Home Office or a court.

After

The update on 4 September 2026 confirms the government's current plans. These plans are for the redevelopment and expansion of Haslar Immigration Removal Centre in Gosport, Hampshire. An Immigration Removal Centre is a place where people are held while the government processes their immigration cases or prepares to remove them from the UK. The centre should open again in 2027. This will happen after existing buildings are refurbished and new construction work is finished. The first stage will provide about 130 detention beds. This will be through refurbishing existing accommodation. The second stage would add about 470 more beds. This would increase the centre's total capacity to about 600 beds. But this expansion depends on getting planning permission and the necessary approvals. The Home Office says it has already appointed the main contractor for the second stage. This contractor is currently doing design and project development work. Planning permission for the second stage is being sought through the Crown Development process. The Home Office says it has spoken with the local planning authority and other interested parties. These include local councillors, Members of Parliament, police, fire, and health services, and independent oversight bodies. The redeveloped centre will provide secure accommodation for men who are detained. This includes foreign national offenders who have served their sentences and immigration offenders. The Home Office says that facilities for detained people will be on site. Healthcare will be provided by NHS England. It also states that this will not affect the primary healthcare services in the local community. The updated factsheet also states that the government believes immigration detention is needed for an effective system that removes people. It plans to use investments like Haslar to help remove more people who do not have a legal right to stay in the UK.

This policy update shows that the UK government continues to increase its capacity for immigration detention. This is part of its plan to remove foreign criminals and other people who do not have a legal right to stay. The number of beds at Haslar will increase significantly. It had 198 beds before it closed. It will now have a planned 600 beds. This will improve the Home Office's ability to hold people securely while it arranges their removal. For people who can be detained, this means more detention places will be available. This could affect where people are held. It also shows continued investment in the systems that support immigration enforcement.

Explained simply

Imagine the government has a big building where people who aren't allowed to stay in the UK are held before they leave. This building is called Haslar. The government has just shared an update saying they are making this building much bigger and more modern. It will open in 2027 and will be able to hold about 600 people instead of just a few. This means they can hold more people who they want to send out of the country, like foreign criminals. If someone is let out of this centre on bail, they usually won't be allowed to live in the local town, Gosport, unless they already have a specific place to stay there.

Frequently asked

Version history

  1. v1Effective 4 Sept 2026PublishedMedium impact
    UK Home Office Updates Haslar Immigration Removal Centre Factsheet, Confirming Redevelopment Plans and Increased Capacity

    The Home Office has updated its plans for the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in Gosport, Hampshire. An Immigration Removal Centre is a place where people are held while the government processes their immigration cases or prepares to remove them from the UK. The former centre closed in 2016. It is now being redeveloped and will open again in 2027. The first stage will refurbish existing buildings. This will create about 130 beds. The second stage will add about 470 new beds, if planning permission is granted. This would bring the centre's total capacity to about 600 beds. These beds are for men who are detained before they are removed from the UK. This includes foreign national offenders and immigration offenders.

Timeline

  1. Takes effect

    1 Jan 2027

    The Home Office is proceeding with plans to open a redeveloped Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) at the former Haslar IRC site in Gosport, Hampshire, in 2027. Phase 1 involves refurbishing existing buildings to create around 130 bed spaces. Subject to planning permission, Phase 2 would add approximately 470 new places, bringing the total capacity to around 600 beds. The redeveloped centre will acco

  2. Announced

    4 Sept 2026

    On 4 September 2026, the UK Home Office published an updated factsheet detailing the ongoing redevelopment of the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in Gosport. This update confirms the government's commitment to opening a redeveloped facility in 2027, which will eventually provide approximately 600 bed spaces. The factsheet provides a summary of developments, including the two-phase construc

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