Larne House STHF, Antrim

Larne House opened in July 2011 as the UK's first purpose-built immigration detention centre in Northern Ireland. The facility has 19 bedspaces and is intended for short stays of up to seven days while immigration enforcement decisions are taken. It sits within a wider Border Force estate in Larne; transfers to mainland IRCs follow for those held longer^[3]GOV.UK.

The Independent Monitoring Board's 2023-24 annual report on the Scotland and Northern Ireland short-term holding facilities flagged the lack of separation between male and female residents at Larne House and limited access to facilities such as showers and internet. The July 2025 HMIP inspection of Larne House alongside Manchester and Swinderby found the facilities calm and well managed, with outcomes generally good across all three sites^[2]IMB^[1]GOV.UK.

Short-term holding facility per-place costs are difficult to disentangle from wider detention budgets. Using the same indicative IRC bed-day rate of £350 as the Heathrow and Gatwick centres, the 19 places at Larne House imply an annual operating cost of roughly £2.4 million if fully utilised. The May 2025 NAO accommodation report tracked detention costs separately from the £1.296 billion asylum hotel bill^[4]NAO.