Oxfordshire County Council has submitted a formal objection to the Planning Inspectorate regarding plans to enlarge the Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre in the Kidlington area.
The authority’s position was communicated through a press statement dated 21 September.
Council representatives indicated that the institution’s track record had been thoroughly evaluated, referencing the approximately 29,000 individuals previously detained at the site and stating that operations had been linked to persistent demonstrations, hunger strikes, legal disputes, abscondings and two deaths.
Three principal recommendations were set out in the council’s submission.
These comprised abandoning any proposals to resume Campsfield House’s function as a removal centre, widening access to legal procedures for asylum applications and establishing protected environments along with equitable assessment methods incorporating proper welfare protections for those seeking refuge.
Neil Fawcett, who serves as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Oxfordshire County Council and composed the correspondence, reinforced these positions, stating that the facility had consistently attracted substantial public disquiet and prolonged resistance from local residents.
He additionally referenced the council’s designation as a Council of Sanctuary, noting it was the inaugural county council in Britain to achieve this recognition.
Fawcett stressed that the council’s stance corresponded with this status, asserting that national policy should prioritise secure and legitimate pathways rather than heightened dependence on immigration detention.
He further urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood MP to decommission the site permanently.
Both Fawcett and the council have been asked to provide further remarks.
This intervention follows the Planning Inspectorate’s publication of a formal inquiry notice on 1 September, subsequent to a Crown Development submission from the Home Office on 2 June concerning the centre’s expansion.
The Coalition to Close Campsfield, a local campaign organisation pushing for the site’s permanent shut-down, was among groups demonstrating during the official reopening ceremony in December 2025.
A protest has been arranged for Tuesday 26 September.
The facility has generated significant debate within the University of Oxford’s academic community.
Records from 2023 indicated that more than 100 students and employees had appended their names to correspondence demanding the centre’s closure.
In 2025, the Oxford University Student’s Union endorsed a proposal to endorse a letter opposing the site’s resumption.
According to information published by the Planning Inspectorate, submissions and supporting documentation for the inquiry must be delivered by 25 September, with proceedings scheduled to commence on 6 October.
The Planning Inspectorate has been approached for a response.