NHS Dental Practice Plans Withdrawn In Shanklin

Plans to open a ‘much-sought-after’ NHS dental practice in Shanklin have been withdrawn.

The proposed practice was due to be based on the first floor of Shanklin Conservative Club on Palmerston Road, with six dental surgeries planned.

Club manager James Hilson said prospective tenant Dentalwell had decided to hand back the NHS dental contract awarded to them.

He said the club had been advised by an estate agent that the decision was due to recent changes in personal health circumstances, as well as the ‘ongoing difficulties’ facing NHS dental practices.

The Isle of Wight Council had previously approved plans to convert the ‘under-utilised’ space above the private members’ bar into the new facility.

Mr Hilson said the decision was disappointing for both club members and the wider Bay area community.

He said:

“We know very many people welcomed an NHS dentist coming to Shanklin, and we had done all we could to facilitate this.”

The decision was also described as disappointing for the club, with Mr Hilson saying they had been “only days away from signing the lease”.

The original planning application said the availability of NHS dentistry on the Isle of Wight had been in ‘steady decline’, with many people reportedly unable to get appointments within their local community.

The plans were described as providing a “much sought-after and needed facility” which would have benefited both Shanklin residents and the local economy.