A new 24-hour emergency defibrillator and bleed control kit could soon be installed on a busy Scarborough shopping street to help save lives in the town centre.
Life-saving emergency equipment will be available around the clock in Scarborough town centre if new plans get the go-ahead.
A combined defibrillator and bleed control kit is planned for the outside of a busy high street bank to help protect the public during medical emergencies.
The Nationwide Building Society has submitted an application to place the vital supplies outside its branch at 50 Westborough, directly opposite the Lord Rosebery pub.
Town councillors have already thrown their weight behind the scheme. Members of the Scarborough parish council’s Planning and Licensing Committee voted unanimously to support the installation during a meeting on Thursday, September 17.
A spokesperson for the bank outlined their commitment to the town:
"supporting the community we serve."
They added that the primary goal is to ensure people have:
"rapid, 24/7 access to vital emergency equipment whenever it is needed."
Space constraints on the outside of the building mean the original idea of having two distinct units has been adapted.
The bank's planning documents explained the change in design:
"in cases like this, where there is insufficient space on the branch’s external elevation to accommodate two cabinets, we propose installing a single cabinet to house both pieces of equipment. The defibrillator and bleed kit will be housed in a secure cabinet installed to the external wall of the Nationwide Building Society branch, and the details of the cabinet, from St John’s Ambulance, along with the branding that Nationwide Building Society intend to apply to the face of the cabinet."
Planners acknowledge that the Westborough branch sits within a conservation area, which usually carries strict rules regarding alterations to building exteriors. However, the application argues that the medical necessity of the equipment justifies its placement.
A design statement submitted to North Yorkshire Council detailed the reasoning for the location:
"The cabinet needs to be in a prominent location where it can easily be seen and, at a height where it can be reached in case the equipment is needed in an emergency. We have proposed that the cabinet is fixed in a location that, whilst prominent, has limited impact on the appearance of the conservation area. The cabinet can be removed if it becomes redundant, as the installation of this equipment is potentially lifesaving; we consider that this outweighs any harm to the appearance of the conservation area."
The final decision now rests with North Yorkshire Council. The local planning authority has not yet set a date for a ruling, and the application is currently open for representations from members of the public.
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