The Home Office is seeking views from residents and owners of businesses and property on proposals to create a purpose-built Reception Centre at Manston.
In December 2021, the Home Office confirmed it would be operating a reception and processing centre, based at the former RAF base in Manston, for people arriving by small boat. It opened in January 2022 and government says there are no plans to change its use.
But there are proposals to upgrade the current temporary infrastructure with “a more efficient and fit for purpose processing centre, next to the area currently in-use on the Manston site, with protection of the local community’s safety given the same high priority as now.”
A consultation document says the site is considered to be the only suitable one available within the east Kent area that could accommodate such the facility, in terms of proximity to points of arrival and the ownership and availability of land.
The site area measures approximately 37.6 hectares and comprises 48 buildings. The current facility is made up of old buildings that have been repurposed, and several temporary structures.
The Home Office says: “We have been working hard over the past year to improve facilities, security, equipment; and support services, such as health and welfare capability by working with local partners.
“However, there is scope to make better use of the site and ensure that activities can be carried out as efficiently as possible.
“We plan to build a more efficient and fit‑for‑purpose processing centre, with protection of the local community’s safety given the same high priority as now.
“The facility at Manston continues to play a vital role, enabling us to quickly and safely bring people into the immigration system so that appropriate actions can then be taken.”
The development of a purpose-built Reception Centre at Manston will include increased security, improved staff and arrivals facilities, improved short term accommodation and interview rooms and better training facilities.
There will be a phased demolition of at least five existing unused buildings, to allow the new buildings to be constructed.
Planning approval will be sought for:
- The new Reception Centre to replace the existing centre operating on site, consisting of up to six buildings.
- A new training facility for staff and equipment for training.
- Redevelopment of the existing entrance to assist with traffic management.
- Additional surface car parking
- Installation of additional lighting, CCTV and utility requirements.
- Installation of new fencing to the site boundary.
- New small-scale on-site waste treatment centre to sustainably manage waste water from the site and
- Retrospective approval of the existing reception centre and associated facilities and accommodation (on a temporary basis until the new reception centre is available).
The Reception Centre is planned to consist of an arrivals centre and short-term accommodation.
Subject to approval of the development and designs, the construction would be planned in phases, with a target of completion in 2027/28.
A consultation document says: “The site at Manston will remain fully secure. We plan to install new CCTV and lighting along the boundary fence, and internally within the site, to meet Home Office requirements.
“The plans for the CCTV and lighting are currently being developed, to ensure that they meet the required standards but do not impact the surrounding environment.
“New fencing is proposed to secure the facility. This will include fencing along the site boundary and surrounding the Reception Centre and training facility.
“Healthcare for arrivals at the site will continue to be managed by a healthcare supplier. Primary health care needs are provided for at the site, with referrals to local hospitals for further tests or treatment offsite in certain circumstances.
“The Home Office works closely with NHS partners, Local Authorities and the UK Health Security Agency to manage any urgent healthcare needs, including infectious disease control, noting that arrivals remain at the site for very short periods of time.”
Security for the site will continue to be managed by the Home Office and through its contractor.
In November last year Thanet council leader Rick Everitt wrote to then immigration minister Robert Jenrick MP about the secure migrant removal centre plans, including the accommodation for 360 people at the outset, later to rise to 700. He outlined a number of concerns and called on the then-Conservative government to be open about its plans.
A contract published by government last December, with an estimated value excluding VAT of £700m over a term of 6 years said: “The Home Office is currently transforming the site at Manston to establish permanent, purpose-built facilities, coordinated by the Manston Transformation Programme.
“The Programme is looking for partner(s) to deliver a suitable operation and wrap around services for the operations at Western Jet Foil and Manston, plus Medical Services, for an initial term of 6 years with an option to extend for an additional 2 x 24 month periods.”
Now the Home Office is asking for people to give their view on the proposals ahead of the planning application submission. The consultation opened today (September 11) and runs until October 1.
MP Sir Roger Gale, whose constituency covers West Thanet, has written to the Manston programme director to thank him for clear confirmation that there are no plans to change the use of the site.
In the letter, he adds: “I raised no objection to the replacement of temporary infrastructure with more permanent buildings to provide, what you describe as a more efficient and fit for purpose processing centre on the clear understanding that there would be no “mission creep” and that ultimately, if appropriate, these buildings might be transferred to the local authority, when no longer needed by the Home Office, for use by that authority as housing for homeless people. I would like to think that remains the ultimate intention.”
The MP says the creation of a Border Force Training Centre was also raised, to which he has “no objection in principle.”
More details can be found here
In October and November 2022, the centre became overwhelmed with some 4,000 people. It is designed to hold between 1,000 and 1,500 people. People were facing significantly longer periods in the centre due to the high numbers making small boat crossings. Issues included reported cases of diphtheria, scabies and norovirus.
Thanet already is suffering with an overload of social problems, which is putting a strain on local resources that don’t have the capacity to deal with. Is Polly Billington going to stand up for the local people she is supposed to be representing or is she going to be another self serving politician looking for HER next step up the ladder!!
She hasn’t done anything for us so far so l this you are right ,working for the next step
They are all the same. They may be blue or red on the outside but the moment the power baton changes hands – so do the policies.
Labour has no more intention of ”stopping the boats” than the Tories. Whatever party is in opposition is full of bluff and bluster – but when they come to power, their bottle goes and nothing changes.
History tells us that those whom nice wealthy people find distasteful are usually placed in the least affluent areas of the he country. Whatever, the objections from local people, the Establishment will end up siting the entity here. Just another good kicking from Westminster.🙄🤬
YOU HAVEGOTTOBEJOKING, shut the place ,this is land we should be building homes on and not farmland ,it’s an eyesore, Manston Airport has turned a corner so this is the last thing we need on our doorstep, Kent has had enough it’s time to give this to another area. Kent gets all the Sh_t from all the other councils it’s about time the rest of the UK that a slice of the cake.
Permanent? As in never ending?
Knew it was going to happen, UK GOV had a interest in Manston Airport re opening, passenger flights by Ruanda Air. Speeds up the processing time and saves the UK tax payers money in the long run.
Manston should be used as an airport to deport all the illegal arrivals back to their own countries. Kent/Thanet are just a dumping ground for illegal immigrants. The illegal arrivals should be held no longer than it takes to fill a plane then fly them out.
Presumably if Labour are going to “ smash the Gangs” the illegals
Will not be coming here at all if they do keep coming then it will be the Reform Party that will win by a mile at the next general election.
So ironic that Labour cancelled the Tories Rwanda plan to send migrants to Rwanda for asylum processing, flights had been booked and accommodation had been arranged and the system had potential to act as a deterrent, Now Germany are looking to send their illegal immigrants to Rwanda for processing will be using the same accommodation that the UK would have used !!
There is no way the gangs can be “smashed” as they are merely providing a service to lots of willing customers.
So labour will do what it always planned to but never said, just rubber stamp the majority of arrivals straight into the country. The reception centre needs to be somewhere and Thanet is a sensible choice, those arriving won’t want to stay here they’ll be off to the midlands and london as soon as they can do so.
As in a previous comment governments want cheap areas to put such places both on cost grounds and because it gets less resistance.
The current reception centre is already one of the areas biggest employers , hardly going to be a bad thing to bring more relatively low skilled and reasonably paid jobs to the area, find someone that works there and have a chat, the majoroty spend 3 months in the canteen on their phones waiting for thier checks to be completed , then after that get to spend half of any shift on their phones between wandering about “on patrol”. £160 for a 12 hour shift 4 days on 4 days off.
Why a permanent site surley our Government will fight to stop immigrants entering out country . Oops actually probably not. Not until Nigel Farage because our PM anyway .
This is a joke-RIGHT?
And how much will that cost, while you freeze OAP’s to death Starmer?
There’s over 200 miles of French coast along the English Channel. No chance of patrolling it all and stopping boats regardless of political party or money spent.
Allow asylum seekers to apply for asylum in the UK from elsewhere in Europe. Or allow them to travel to Britain by usual routes such as the ferrirs ,planes or trains. Then no one will need to risk their lives in open boats on the Channel. Employ enough staff at the Home Office to process applications as they USED to be before they were cut. Then there would be little need for large accommodation units as the applications would be swiftly processed. We could assess applicants not just on the dangers they face in their home countries but on their ability to meet UK employment needs. Recent surveys indicate that asylum seekers are ,on average, better qualified than our own population. (Which figures as dictatorial regimes tend to monitor the statements of the better- educated rather than poorer citizens). Britain needs teaching staff and medical personnel as well as Care workers. But also around 150,000 building workers if we are to create the houses and workplaces for the future. Short of turning resident UK women into breeding machines, we are never going to have the working age population to run a successful society. Currently, we aren,t attracting enough workers from abroad to fill the gaps as wages are failing to beat improving wage levels elsewhere in the world.(Other European countries will not be supplying the workforce we need as their own economies improve while ours stagnate regardless of whatever Party is in power as they all,including Reform, follow the same failed policies. So in short, carry on improving the facilities at Manston, but change the approach so that those facilities will only be needed temporarily.
Do you seriously believe that doctors, nurses, teachers and skilled building workers are arriving on these boats ? Surely people with those qualifications would arrive at airports with passports and visas. I agree there is a need for legal migration for skilled workers but disagree with the uncontrolled illegal migration that these small boats bring.
Why can’t they build these things somewhere like Edinburgh and Cardiff instead of here?
If Starmer and his mob have a plan to smash the gangs and stop the boats as they say they have, we won’t need a permanent centre at Manston
Just curious – How many local people are employed at this Manston centre?
so many racists so little time
No most off us are not racists we are totally pissed off being treated like second class british citizens,them coming over here spending thousands off pounds too get here,then being,given priority,
LOLOLOL
They don’t get priority whatever gave you that idea?
Was it the daily fail, The Sun or the Torygraph?
G H Us.
Damn all to do with racism, It’s to do with unfettered immigration, altering the British way of life so that it becomes almost unrecognisable and a massive security problem – as well as us tax payers are paying for it all
Give your head a wobble!
ok some facts for the illiterate out there
1. It is a processing centre
2. It is on MOD land
3. It could have been build in Calais if the last idiots in charge had taken up Macron’s offer of land.
4. Once processed 87% are granted asylum then they can get employed and do all the jobs they lazy indigenous population don’t want to do
5. They aren’t illegal they just have to use an irregular method of travelling to the UK because the Tories stopped people claiming asylum in UK embassies which was the usual route
6. They don’t eat dogs and cats to survive (yes that was sarcasm)
What a strange character
what you don’t understand the truth?
At half the bloody wage you moron. It’s little wonder our employees don’t want to do mundane jobs for peanuts.
You seem to think highly of your own intellect judging by previous answers, that’s froma muppet that follows and accepts Two Tier Starmer’s rhetoric as fact.
Have you quite finished proving to the world you are a sandwich short of a picnic
There was no need to press the enter button to prove your are ignorant
Just a reminder today is the anniversary of the Twin Towers attack in New York 9/11. An event that changed the world. Led to the invasion of Afghanistan, that went well until Biden withdrew. Then the bombing of Iraq, Shock and Awe deposing Sadam Hussain. Followed by Libya and the deposing of Gadaffi. The so called Arab Spring. After all the foreign policy decisions and dodgy dossiers it’s no wonder we have an immigration problem. Time we concentrated on domestic problems rather than taking on the problems of the world.
I’m finishing for the evening so now closing the comments on this post