Gosport families oppose plans for migrant centre at historic fort
Plans to use Fort Blockhouse, a 19th-century fort guarding Portsmouth Harbour, as a reception and processing centre for people arriving by small boat have drawn opposition in Gosport. Conservative MP Dame Caroline Dinenage argues the site lacks suitable facilities and transport links, and that opening it could encourage more dangerous Channel crossings; the proposal has also angered some local military families.
The plans come amid a shift in some crossings from the usual route towards Kent to a longer, riskier journey from Normandy towards Hampshire. Gosport already has Haslar Immigration Removal Centre, which is due to reopen after expansion to accommodate 600 people, while recent protests over a possible migrant arrival led to six arrests and police escorts for coaches. Residents quoted in the article cite concerns about infrastructure and the impact on the area, while also distinguishing between legal migration and people arriving without identity documents.
- Fort Blockhouse could become a migrant reception centre.
- Gosport’s MP says the site may encourage dangerous crossings.
- Local concerns include infrastructure, protests and the detention centre reopening.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “‘This will just encourage more illegal migrants to come to Britain’: Anger over plans for processing centre at historic naval port as families of Navy veterans ask ‘what did they serve for?’”.