THORNFORD Park Hospital in Thatcham has resubmitted plans for a higher security fence, but has denied that it will house more medium security patients.
The hospital in Crookham Hill, which houses low and medium security category patients with mental health needs, submitted the application in January but then withdrew it a month later.
The director of the hospital, Paul Cowans, said that the application was withdrawn because he wanted to wait and get public support rather then rush the application.
The hospital had to put in the application to conform with new, more stringent, government guidelines.
The new guidelines are contained within the new Government of Health Best Practice guidelines 2007 which states that the fences must be raised from three meters to 5.2m, to maintain the present facility with its existing patient and staffing levels.
Local residents and members of the Thornford Park Liaison Group (TPLG) were concerned that the increased height of the fence would be unsightly and out of character as well as encouraging the housing of more medium security patients.
Chairman of the TPLG, Michael Bloomfield, said: "There is still some resentment about the way the establishment came into being in the first place.
"Having said that, it is there and obviously the hospital does help a certain number of patients that are classified as being of medium risk - clearly there is a case for having security to hold people of that category.
"I think it is fair to say there is mixed feeling - on the one hand, people are concerned about having a large fence erected, but from a security perspective, that would benefit local people.
"Another thing is that for most of the perimeter the fence has been set quite well back so around most of the hospital it should not be too unsightly.
"But at one area there is not enough room so the hospital has a programme of landscaping to lessen the impact."
He added: "I think Paul Cowans and his staff have been very open and they have discussed the plans with us in a very open manner - that is obviously useful in terms of trying to bring local residents on side.
"There are still some people who feel quite raw about the presence of the hospital.
"The other concern we all have is that once they get the fence in place whether there will be a change of strategy.
"To be fair to the hospital, they have declared that that's not their intention and that's not the purpose of putting the fence in.
"We are hoping that that's the case."