Arora detention plans defeated!

Last night, Monday 25th January, Arora's planning application to turn their four star hotel at Gatwick into a detention centre was defeated by 14 votes to 1 at Crawley Council's Planning Meeting.

No Border activists held a demo outside Crawley Town Hall before the meeting and a number went into the meeting.

Articles on Indymedia: | 1 | 2 | 3 | Video October 2009 | Articles on the London NoBorders Website: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Radio Interview on Arora | Press Release 26 January

NoBorders Protest against Aurora in October 2009

Background: In September 2009 information leaked that the Arora International Hotels chain wants to convert the 254-bed Mercure Hotel in Povey Cross Road, Crawley into an Immigration Removal Centre. Due to the nature of the existing building and the site it occupies, it could only be converted into a detention centre to house families and children.

Like other private companies that run privatised detention centres across the country, Arora is trying to sell its plan by argueing that locating detention centres at airports would make deportations easier and less costly for the government.

Since September 2009, NoBorders groups have held several protests against the planned conversion as well as filing objections to the planning permission process.

On Monday 25th January 2010 20 Noborders groups from London and Brighton held a protest at Crawley Town Hall, where the council met to decide about the apllication. The activists attended the council meeting and made statements why the application should be rejected.

Crawley council finally rejected the application with 14:1 votes. London NoBorders welcomes this decision and hopes that this will keep other hotel companies from applying for similar projects in the future.