Go-ahead for new defibrillator in Halifax
A new defibrillator is being made available in Halifax town centre, now planners have given the go-ahead.
A defibrillator is a medical device that analyses the heart’s rhythm and, if it detects a life‑threatening abnormality, delivers an electric shock to stop the arrhythmia so the heart can re-establish a normal beat, according to the British Heart Foundation.
Calderdale Council planning officers have permitted Nationwide Building Society’s application to install a defibrillator and bleed kit cabinets on the outside wall of its George Square branch.
Council conservation officers have given some advice on the placing.
They said: “This is a highly decorative historic stone building.
“There are no concerns with the principle of installing the cabinets on the front elevation, but the proposed fixing to the historic pilasters would be detrimental to appreciation of the historic architecture.
“Conservation team would advise that the proposed location was amended to locate the cabinets on modern fabric instead of decorative features of the building.”
Nationwide said they proposed cabinets on the front façade of this branch because this is where they will have the least impact on the surrounding buildings whilst also being publicly accessible and visible.
“They will be fixed to the façade using standard fixing techniques.
“The cabinets can be removed if they become redundant and the benefits of installing these cabinets are potentially life saving so we consider that this outweighs any harm to the appearance of the conservation area,” said the building society, in a supporting statement with the application.
Nationwide said they have commitment to community health where they have premises
“As part of this commitment to community well-being, they aim to install life-saving equipment to some of their branches to ensure people have rapid, 24/7 access to vital emergency equipment whenever it is needed.
“As such, they plan to install external defibrillators and bleed control kits on some Nationwide branches.
“Each piece of equipment will be housed in its own dedicated, secure external cabinet,” said a supporting statement with the application.
St John Ambulance will provide the equipment, it added.
Planning applications can be viewed on the planning portal of Calderdale Council’s website.