The nursing home used to cater for elderly and mentally infirm patients

More than 200 people turned up at the offices of Conwy council to protest at plans to site the secure unit in Abergele.

The council's planning committee voted by 28 to zero not to allow a 10ft-high security fence and a conservatory to be built on the site.

The applicants, Ashbourne Health Care, only needed planning permission for the security fence, which was planned to surround the 40-bed low-risk unit, to allow them to go ahead with their proposal.

Parents living close to site of the proposed unit had claimed that the safety of their children would be placed at risk if plans for the unit were approved.

People are scared that people with mental health problems are going to be violent or dangerous - that is a misconception Claire Williams, Mind Cymru

Concerns were raised during a public meeting in January, in which Ashbourne Health Care's chief executive was questioned for two hours.

People whose homes border the site were not convinced by reassurances that patients would pose no risk to the community.

Stigma

Claire Williams, from mental health charity Mind Cymru, said that parental concerns were a common reaction to any proposals for psychiatric care units close to communities.

"People say they fear for their children and don't want to have the facilities near schools and housing," she said.

"Sadly this is because there is a huge amount of stigma associated with mental health in society.

"People are scared that people with mental health problems are going to be violent or dangerous - that is a misconception," she added.

Ms Williams also said that the low-risk units were often placed in community areas for operational reasons.

"People do recover from mental health problems, and a lot of low-security facilities are used for a transitionary period and need to be located near to social services and community services," she added.