Council leaders have accused the Government of fearing scrutiny by rushing through plans to build one of the biggest detention centres in Europe on a Hampshire seafront.
Haslar Immigration Detention Centre in Gosport closed a decade ago but is set to be reopened and enlarged to house 600 foreign criminals and illegal migrants over three storeys.
The development has been designated as having ‘national importance’, meaning the planning process is dealt with by ministers rather than the local council under the recently introduced Crown Development scheme.
But Zoe Huggins, the leader of Gosport Borough Council, has criticised the move and written to Home Secretary Shabana
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