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Haslar immigration removal centre (IRC): factsheet

Updated 10 October 2025

Introduction

This factsheet has been compiled in response to requests from stakeholders.

It does not contain any new announcements or information but does seek to summarise ongoing developments in relation to the site into one document.

Detention general 

Published Home Office detention policy is clear that detention for the purpose of removal must only ever be used where there is a realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable timeframe.   

In the year ending June 2025, the data shows that the majority of people (98%) who left detention were detained for less than 6 months, 66% were detained for 1 month or less, and 28% were detained for 7 days (1 week) or less.  

Individuals can be granted bail, by either the Home Office or Court.

People who are granted bail will be released to addresses throughout the UK. Some of them will have accommodation and are often released to it.  We would not expect a large numbers of individuals released on bail to remain in the local area given people are likely to have addresses throughout the UK.   

Read more about How many people are detained or returned?

Plans

The Home Office is proceeding with plans to open a redeveloped IRC at the former Haslar IRC at Gosport in Hampshire. Development is being undertaken in two phases: refurbishment of existing buildings (Phase 1) and new build accommodation (Phase 2).

Haslar IRC will be a mixture of refurbished and new-build accommodation built to the latest standards, taking account of findings from external scrutiny reports and internal lessons learned reviews to provide modern, safe, secure accommodation for detained men.

Around 130 bed spaces will be created in the refurbished accommodation (compared to 198 in the former IRC which closed in 2016), with further expansion in future, providing up to 600 beds in total.

Planning permission is required for Phase 2 of the development and will be sought via the Crown development route. Crown development applications still require extensive consultation of the local planning authority.

As part of our planning for the development of this IRC, we are in discussions with local councillors and Members of Parliament, other local stakeholders such as the police, fire, health services and independent oversight bodies.

For more information on Crown Development: Crown Development and Urgent Crown Development - GOV.UK

Facilities and environment

The site will be a secure IRC and will have robust physical security measures and appropriate security procedures in place to ensure the facility operates safely and securely, including fencing at the perimeter of the site and security measures in place to keep the site safe and secure, protecting both local residents and detained people. Detained men will be held under immigration powers and will not be free to leave the centre or access the local area or services.

The IRC will hold a mixture of time-served foreign national offenders and immigration offenders while we prepare to remove them from the UK. An individual may be detained under immigration powers under certain circumstances, for example, whilst their identity is being established, where there is a risk of absconding, or in support of the return of an individual with no legal right to be in the UK.

All rooms will meet the standards as set out in the accommodation standards Detention Services Order (DSO). Bedrooms will primarily be dual occupancy.

Any provision of recreational, educational, healthcare, living and faith-related facilities for individuals detained at the facility will be contained onsite.

Further information about our Detention Services Orders (DSOs) at Detention services orders - GOV.UK. 

Healthcare provision is being procured through NHS England, and there will be no impact on primary healthcare services provided within the local community.

Visits will be facilitated in line with those in other centres. Visitors arriving at the Gosport ferry point, from Portsmouth, may be transported to the centre via a private shuttle bus service.

A car park will be provided for staff and visitors. The car park will be safe, secure and will meet the standards required for planning.

Lighting is integral to the safety and security of the centre, but short-term construction lighting and longer-term security lighting is being sensitively planned to minimise impact on local residents, whilst ensuring that security measures are not impacted.

We have aligned our environmental and climate change sustainability strategy with our suppliers to ensure that the buildings and infrastructure we build at Haslar contribute towards net zero carbon emissions and reduce operational costs.

Our sustainability performance will be measured using the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) which is a sustainability certification method which uses 10 different measurement categories such as materials, energy, water, waste, pollution and more, to rate environmental performance.

The refurbished and new buildings use sustainable architecture techniques that use the natural environment to reduce energy. This includes air source heat pumps, solar panels to offset energy use, improved insulation, and air tightness.

Costs and contracts

The Home Office is committed to ensuring value for money on all IRC sites. The costs to refurbish/build are approved via a robust government approval process and scrutinised throughout the duration of the build. Costs will be refined during the planning process and once contractors have been onboarded.

Current costs in the public domain:

• Contract for Phase 1 refurbishment works – awarded contract. Haslar Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) Phase 1 Refurbishment - Contracts Finder
• Contracts for the provision of operational, management, maintenance and related works and services at Haslar IRC  – Tender Notice (value is estimated):  Haslar IRC - Operator Service Procurement - Find a Tender

The name of the successful contracted service provider for the site will not be known until the procurement process has been completed.