Border Agency slam Gatwick Hotel immigration centre plans
14.10.09
Border Agency officials have expressed their ‘extreme disappointment’ at plans submitted to turn a Gatwick hotel into a detention centre, the Crawley News reports. The Agency said hotel tycoon Surinder Arora's application to convert the Gatwick Mercure Hotel was ‘misjudged’.
In a letter to Crawley MP Laura Moffatt, Border Agency director Alan Kittle said he was surprised Mr Arora applied for planning permission. He wrote: ‘We are approached from time to time by developers and land agents with plots of land. This was the case with the Arora Group earlier this year, but having met once, we quickly decided that their proposal to convert the Mercure Hotel into an immigration removal centre was not viable.'
'Mr Arora's decision to make a speculative planning application to nonetheless convert the hotel into an immigration removal centre very much took us by as much surprise. We have no plans to create a further removal centre at Gatwick.’
‘I have written to Mr Arora to express my extreme disappointment at his actions and the fact that I believe he has misjudged the impact they would have on constituents and the reputation of the UK Border Agency. I have also invited him to withdraw the application.’
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