ONE of the country's leading plastic surgeons is investing £4 million in West Devon, after selecting the borough as the location for the UK's very first surgical MediSpa.

The multi-million pound project will see the Grade I Listed Wood Estate at South Tawton, previously owned by TV celebrity Noel Edmonds, transformed to provide high-tech operating rooms and five post-operation rooms, a spa and swimming pool, four luxury suites and six standard rooms.

The estate has been bought for £2 million by plastic surgeon James McDiarmid, who already has clinics in Plymouth, Cheltenham and the Channel Islands.

The venture will create the equivalent of 25 full time jobs, from gardeners and catering staff through to nursing and medical personnel. During the restoration, materials and labour will be sourced locally ensuring as much money as possible remains in the region.

Mr McDiarmid also intends to offer an academic fellowship training programme in aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery which will be open to trainees from the UK and abroad, ensuring Wood develops an international reputation.

Mr McDiarmid said: 'I have travelled all over the world visiting clinics and understand what will provide the best experience for my clients. The MediSpa concept started in North America and now more than 2,500 have sprung up around the world.'

Mr McDiarmid said he wanted to bring the UK up to this level of quality and service, and believed the Wood Estate was the 'perfect' property for the project.

'Having worked in the region for some time I am very passionate about it and wanted to put it on the map globally.

'This is a huge investment but I believe it will be a great success as there is nothing in the UK to rival it.'

Set within beautiful Grade I listed grounds, it is intended that Wood will provide the perfect discreet setting to undertake and recover from cosmetic surgery, drawing in clientele from all over the UK and further afield.

West Devon residents not wishing to undertake surgery will also be able to visit the spa centre.

Mr McDiarmid has been a qualified doctor for more than 18 years and a consultant plastic surgeon for the last eight. Throughout these eight years he was an NHS consultant surgeon but recently decided to focus purely on aesthetic surgery. He carries out an average of ten operations every week and has performed more than 10,000 successful operations in total.

He specialises in breast augmentation, rhinoplasty and facial rejuvenation and has extensive experience in reconstructive surgery.

The Wood MediSpa should be open for business in 2010.