Dentist clinic set to move from Tweedmouth to Berwick after plans approved

A change of use application by Tweedmouth Dental Clinic for the conversion of the former Berwick Advertiser offices on Marygate was agreed by Northumberland County Council.

It intends to double its capacity from two to four surgeries by relocating from its current Shielfield Terrace base.

Dr Shabin Chohan, speaking to members of the North Northumberland Local Area Council planning committee, said: "Tweedmouth Dental Clinic is the sole remaining NHS dental practice in Berwick and needs to move to a larger site to allow the business to function properly.”

The clinic has a contract with the NHS orthodontic service but lack of space means patients currently have to travel 50 miles to Ashington for treatment.

Dr Choban also revealed the practice manager is unable to work from the current base due to lack of space and the configuration of the reception space causes difficulties.

“There’s a new shopping centre (Loaning Meadows Retail Park) and a lot of footfall has left Marygate,” he added. “Getting 4,500 patients back on to the street will be good for Marygate and the town centre.”

The clinic first received planning permission to relocate in 2015 but this lapsed due to lack of funding to sufficiently progress the scheme.

Two apartments are also planned as part of the new permission.

Coun Catherine Seymour, member for Berwick North, said: "The relocation of this NHS dental practice to Berwick is good news.

"It is doubling its surgeries to serve 4,500 patients that we desperately need as have lost two other practices recently.

"Although unlisted this prominent building has been empty since 2015 and new life being breathed into it is of great benefit to the town.”

A condition is included that uPVC windows installed on the north and east elevations without planning permission must be replaced with timber frames.

Cllr Gordon Castle, member for Alnwick, proposed an amendment that the applicant should not be required to replace the existing uPVC windows when it is not a listed building but this was not supported.

Cllr Georgina Hill, member for Berwick East, supported the officer recommendation.

"This application serves two huge public benefits,” she said. “Firstly, there’s the need for dentists and then there’s this vacant unit in Marygate and these outweigh any harm.”

Cllr Wendy Pattison, member for Longhoughton and a former Tweeddale Press employee, added: “I worked in that building for many years so any improvement there is amazing and I think it’s great to have people living on the main street.”

Two dental surgeries have closed in Berwick in recent months.

{my}dentist in Castlegate shut in September, due to “difficulties experienced in recruiting dentists to the area”.

And the Burgess and Hyder Dental Group (the dental arches) in Bridge Street closed in January.

In response to the shortage, NHS England has produced an ‘Access to NHS dental services (Berwick)’ briefing to patients.

It says plans to secure a new long-term provider are being urgently progressed, but the procedures that need to be followed mean it will not be in place until April 2024.

Berwick has been identified as a priority area for an initiative aimed at supporting practices to attract dentists to work in the area by offering a financial incentive payment.