Emergency psychiatric unit to go ahead

Members of the Thornford Park Liaison Group said that they were not fully consulted on the proposal, which allow the unit to be used for patients who cannot be managed at open psychiatric wards owing to the level of risk they pose to themselves or others.
The chairman of the liaison group, Michael Bloomfield, said that he only found out about the use of the building in April after an altered condition application for a 3.2m fence was submitted.
Originally the hospital had applied to build an administration building, which was later changed to hospital use. The row over the application is focused on the height of the fence.
The new facility will be situated outside the existing hospital building, which is surrounded by a 5.2m fence, but last week West Berkshire Council’s eastern area planning committee passed the application for a 3.2m fence to be erected around the new unit.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Bloomfield said residents did not feel this was high enough for the potential risk to the community.
He said: “We are not in a built-up area. Thornford Park is in the middle of the countryside. Our risk position is fundamentally different. Do we really think it’s sensible to not have a 5.2m fence there?”
Councillors also heard from hospital director, Paul O’Connor, who said: “This facility does not require a 5.2m fence. To say that these people will be offenders is not the case.
“They will require treatment for acute psychiatric conditions. 5.2m is the minimum for a medium-secure facility, which is not what this will be.”
Responding to a question from Alan Law (Con, Basildon) as to why the application was changed to include the fence, Mr O’Connor said it was to enhance security.
However, he said that the Care Quality Commission would view installing a 5.2m fence around the site as highly aggressive and that it was unlikely to register a property where an oppressive patient environment was proposed.
Mr O’Connor warned that it was “highly likely” the hospital would press ahead with the unit even if councillors rejected the proposal, as a psychiatric intensive care unit came under the permission for general hospital use.
The council had originally asked for a 5.2m fence to be erected but council planning officer David Pearson said: “I would be concerned if we asked for a 5.2m fence and if it went to appeal the inspector would ask what expertise we had.”
He suggested that the height of the fence remain at 3.2m and that ground levels inside the fence be lowered.
Councillor Mollie Lock (Lib Dem, Mortimer) said: “My main concern is that these patients are locked in but if somebody were to get out then a higher fence would be safer.
“I don’t understand why there’s so much opposition to a 5.2m fence when there’s one already in place.”
Eight councillors approved the application, with one voting against and another abstaining.