A priest in Australia is defending plans to install a new set of bells in his church.

Fr Peter Smith from St Augustine's Church in Balmain in Sydney has applied for permission to increase the number of bells from one to a set of eight. 

But locals have criticised the plans saying the bells will be too noisy.

Fr Smith said: “The church is 100 metres from a noisy pub that goes all night, so for people to say the bells will wake babies or will keep people awake at night is a bit of a stretch.

“Places like Balmain are noisy places and I think that's part of the charm of living here.”

He added that the existing bell in the church had rung for more than a century and that residents would have been aware of the bell tower.

The plans submitted by St Augustine’s said the new bells would serve to remind  residents to cherish community spirit in “an era of increasing digitalisation and detachment”.

Inner West Council is also reported to have raised concerns over potential noise disturbances.