Dame Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport, has written to the Home Secretary to seek a clear answer on the future of Fort Blockhouse.

The Government has said that disused military sites will be used to house asylum seekers, after the worst year in history for small boats crossings.

Around 20% of Gosport is owned by the Ministry of Defence, so there’s a chance a policy which sees asylum seekers moved from hotels to vacant Ministry of Defence sites could impact the Gosport Constituency. Fort Blockhouse has been earmarked for disposal by the MoD since 2016 but the timeline for releasing the site has continually slipped.

Caroline has repeatedly stressed that the future of Fort Blockhouse must be as an asset to the town, creating jobs and prosperity and has stressed her opposition to its use as asylum accommodation.

Caroline said: “Local people are deeply worried that Fort Blockhouse, which looks likely to miss yet another promised disposal deadline this year, will be sacrificed to this Government’s failure on small boats.

“We need clarity from the Government on their plans for the Fort.”