The UK government's plan to more than double capacity at Campsfield House faces concerns over a nearby Thames Water pumping station that could disturb future detainees.
The Home Office planning statement sets the proposed center's maximum capacity at 400 bed spaces, up from 160. It says expanding the existing site would cost less than building a new center and describes maximizing bed spaces as a government aim.
In an Oct. 2 submission to the Planning Inspectorate, Thames Water said its pumping station is inside the site's boundary and within 20 meters of the proposed development. That separation is shorter than the best-practice distance cited by the utility.
Thames Water asked that any approval warn future occupants about occasional odors, flies, insects, noise and vibration that station operations or maintenance could cause. The filing also lists lighting among possible effects.
The utility said concerns remain about local foul-water, surface-water and water-supply networks. Its filing says the Home Office and Thames Water are discussing moving the station and diverting an associated rising main to accommodate the proposed layout. The filing identifies future occupants as those who could experience the disturbances.
Ally Swadling, lead legal education officer at Right to Remain, told The Guardian the utility's concerns showed “how little regard is being given to even the most basic standards of sanitation and human dignity.” The Guardian also reported that a Home Office spokesperson said the government remained confident in the proposal and would keep working with the Planning Inspectorate. The spokesperson said more detention capacity supports efforts to increase removals of people with no right to remain in the UK.
The Planning Inspectorate lists the public inquiry for Dec. 15 at 4:30 a.m. ET (9:30 a.m. GMT) at Cherwell District Council chambers in Banbury. An inspector will consider the expansion application.
