Gosport Borough Council leader Zoe Huggins has demanded greater transparency over plans to reopen and expand a major immigration detention centre in the town.
The Conservative councillor has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood calling for a public inquiry into the proposals, which would see the centre expanded to accommodate around 600 foreign criminals and illegal migrants.
Speaking to GB News, Ms Huggins said the project was proceeding through the Government's new Crown Development process and argued residents should have a proper opportunity to scrutinise the plans.
“Our message is really, really clear. Give us a public inquiry, not just written representation.”
Ms Huggins also called for greater openness around the evidence underpinning the development, saying redactions should be removed “as much as possible”.
She added the council wanted to establish a community liaison panel so residents could have a direct say in the project.
The intervention comes amid wider concerns over Labour's approach to imposing major immigration facilities on local communities.
Asked whether the plans were at odds with Prime Minister Andy Burnham's promises to put more power into local hands, Ms Huggins said planning was an example of where “it's opposite to what Andy Burnham is saying".
She said Gosport was particularly vulnerable to the development's impact because of its geography and existing infrastructure pressures.
“We're a peninsula. Our infrastructure will be affected,” she said.
Ms Huggins also warned residents were worried about the impact on house prices, the local economy and future regeneration.
“We have quite a lot of empty sites, and we have deprived areas here in the borough,” she said.
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“And quite rightly, residents are concerned about the impact on their housing prices. They're concerned about the local economy.”
Ms Huggins insisted, however, council's request for a public inquiry was focused on the process surrounding the development, rather than being a formal objection to the planning merits of the application.
“If they're confident about the new Crown development process, if they're confident about the application, we're one of the first,” she said.
“Let's be an example, and let's actually test that evidence and hear directly from residents from a public inquiry.”
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