PLANS have been submitted to install a life-saving defibrillator at a Shaldon church.

An application for Listed Building Consent has been lodged with Teignbridge Council to put in the medical equipment in the old vestry building of St Nicholas Church.

The proposal is for the defibrillator to be housed externally on the front elevation of the vestry which is in the grounds of the 13th century church.

A later addition to the site, Church of St Nicholas and the grounds have been in existence since the 13th Century and maintain an ongoing preservation of the heritage as a cultural asset to Shaldon.

The Old Vestry building is a later addition to the site of St Nicholas Church and occupies a small portion of the grounds.

The Vestry is not an original historic asset and has been constructed and finished in a more contemporary style in comparison to the Church.

It has also been extended and altered since being built and includes a plant room and toilet and its features have no significance to the architectural heritage of the church.

A statement to planners says: ‘The church itself will remain untouched and uninterrupted by the installation of the defibrillator.

‘It will provide the community of Shaldon and visitors to the church with access in the event of an emergency.

‘The defibrillator will be visible from the lychgate, and from numerous different points around the grounds of the Church.

‘The visibility is very important as the device itself will need to be easily accessed efficiently in situations of an emergency.

‘It is considered to be clearly in the public interest.’