Campsfield Immigration detention centre extension plans move forward
Planning application's been submitted by the Home Office for the site near Kiddlington
Plans to more than double the number of spaces at a controversial Oxfordshire immigration detention centre have moved forward.
A formal planning application has been submitted by the Home Office, and a consultation has opened into the expansion of the Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre (IRC).
The site has seen repeated protests in the past year, with campaigners for its closure saying it “rips apart families and destroys lives” and alleging detainee “slave labour”.
It is used to detain people who are “subject to immigration control, including those who may pose heightened risk”, this includes people “who present criminality-related risks” and “failed asylum seekers”.
The facility near Kiddlington currently has 160 bed spaces for detained men, and the government is planning to increase this to 400, with a further 240 beds.
Previously known as Campsfield House, the centre was closed in 2018 following years of controversy, during which around 3,600 people passed through the centre, with an average stay of 39 days.
The period included hunger strikes, protests and two deaths by suicide while operated by GEO Group.
It reopened in December 2025 under contractor Mitie, the government’s largest provider of immigration detention services.
Planning permission for its expansion is now being sought, and a consultation has opened on the planning inspectorate website with reference number CROWN/2026/0000004.
The application is for the “expansion of Campsfield IRC comprising the development of new accommodation blocks and ancillary supporting accommodation, the conversion of existing site infrastructure, demolition of existing structures, creation of additional car parking”.
A “national security statement” says the plans are “essential to maintaining effective immigration enforcement, national security and public protection”.
A national importance statement said: “Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre will be a key government asset for enabling an increase in the number of enforced returns from the UK.”
It adds, “insufficient detention capacity is a critical bottleneck in the immigration system, reducing the Home Office’s ability to enforce more returns”, saying “there is a need to ensure that this facility is operational as soon as possible”.
The consultation is on this site as the permission is being sought through the ‘Crown Development route’ due to its “national importance”, taking the planning decision out of the hands of Cherwell District Council and into those of the secretary of state.
Calum Miller MP for Bicester and Woodstock (Lib Dem) has concerns about this process.
In a social media post, he said: “I remain unconvinced that the case has been made on cost or on capacity for expanding the detention estate here.
“That is precisely the kind of question local scrutiny exists to test.
“The Crown Development route makes that scrutiny harder.”
Previously, a Home Office spokesperson said it makes “no apologies for investing in facilities” to “deport foreign criminals and remove illegal migrants as quickly as possible”.
The consultation will be open until 11.59pm July 24.