Dungavel detention centre is to close in 2017, the Home Office has announced.
The immigration removal centre near Strathaven, South Lanarkshire, has been branded “inhumane” by campaigners who have long called for it to be closed.
A replacement short-term holding centre is to be built close to Glasgow Airport.
The new building in Paisley, Renfrewshire, is part of the UK Government’s strategy for a “more efficient and cost-effective detention estate”, the Home Office said.
Dungavel House, which opened in 2001, holds up to 249 detainees and is the only such centre in Scotland, but is said to be “under-utilised due to its remote location”.
Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill said: “We keep our detention estate under constant review to ensure we have the right resources in the right places.
“The new short-term holding facility would provide easy access to London airports, from where most removals take place, meaning those with no right to be in the UK can be removed with less delay.
“Closing Dungavel immigration removal centre as a consequence fits with that approach and will result in a significant saving for the public purse.”
