PLANS to build a fortress-type fence around a psychiatric unit in the middle of a plush housing estate have got the go-ahead, despite fierce objections from residents.

More than 60 on the Rhyddings and the Dales housing estates near the Kemple View Unit in Langho had objected to the proposed structure, Ribble Valley Council's planning committee heard. But councillors passed a recommendation by officers that the fence be given the go-ahead.

Residents said the proposed fence was the type used at prisons, detention centres and nuclear sites.

Langho Parish Council also objected on the grounds that the structure would set an unacceptable precedent and devalue properties.

Kemple View specialises in caring for patients with chronic and long-term mental illnesses.

Managers want the fence in response to the concerns of some residents that patients occasionally leave the site and wander around nearby estates. Unit manager Peter Handy told the meeting the fence reflected the wish of Partnerships in Care, which runs the unit, to develop a safe environment for patients without intrusive supervision.

"We have 25 patients, some very vulnerable. We understand the fears of our neighbours and are trying to establish a dialogue with them," he said.

But concerned Rhyddings resident Greg Schofield said the fence would make the unit look like a fortress.

"It is a high-security barrier, similar to those used by immigration centres and the military. It's an alien feature out of character with the locality.

"It will provide security for able-bodied males who may have committed violent or sexual offences.

"Allowing Partnerships in Care to build it will enable the firm to attract more of these types," he said.

Coun Derek Waller was concerned why the Langho unit needed a 10-foot fence at all. "There are a lot of very worried residents who don't know what's going on there," he said.

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