Galliford Try has been picked for a £101.5m revamp of Haslar Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), near Portsmouth.
The centre was originally built as a prison but was later used to hold immigrants accused of being in the UK illegally or pending their deportation, until it closed in 2015.
Haslar IRC is now set to be refurbished and reopened in a government bid to increase immigration removal capacity.
In 2014, a report by the chief inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick, said housing on the site was “old and worn”, while a subsequent review said the centre had structural issues that would need to be addressed before it could be used again.
In August, the Labour government confirmed it planned to reopen the facility, a policy previously touted by its Conservative predecessor. The government is also reopening Campsfield House IRC in Kidlington, which is also being revamped by Galliford Try under a £70m contract.
A contract notice published by the Home Office said Galliford Try would provide “operational, management, maintenance and related work and services at Haslar”, noting the need for structural improvements and other upgrades.
The reopening of Haslar is controversial, with 25 MPs from five parties backing a motion in the House of Commons in 2022 for the site to remain closed. A local campaigner also told the BBC last year that the centre would cause “mental torture” for those contained within it.
On Tuesday (10 September), the Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees said it was “deeply concerned” by the proposed reopening.
“Haslar IRC, which was closed in 2015, has a troubled history of abuse and neglect,” the charity said in a statement.
“Numerous reports of mistreatment and inhumane conditions at the centre have led to its closure. The decision to reopen Haslar IRC is a worrying indication that the government is not serious about addressing the problems that have plagued the immigration detention system in the UK.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Immigration removal centres play a vital role in controlling our borders and we are working to build a site at Haslar.
“This increase in our detention capacity will facilitate higher levels of enforcement and returns so that immigration rules are properly respected.”
