Plans to open a new dental practice in Inverness city centre have been approved by Highland Council.
Dr Zahid Ahmad, of Portree Dental Care, applied to turn a former office building in Bank Street into the home of a new surgery.
The application was lodged in late July and was recently approved by the council’s planning department.
It will be welcome news for many in the city as it faces a dentistry crisis that has forced locals to go as far afield as Invergordon and Tain to get NHS treatment.
The approval comes with two strings attached.
Firstly, the development must start within three years of its planning permission being accepted.
And secondly, a minimum of two cycle stands must erected close to the site.
In the application, Dr Ahmad says the plans are “in line” with national plans to improve access to NHS dentists.
Why does Inverness need an NHS dentist?
Patients of all ages are forced to play a waiting game and take part in a race for slots when a dentist anywhere within driving distance opens their list.
The only other option is to go private and pay for your treatment.
The situation is not unique to Inverness.
The British Dental Association (BDA) recently claimed the future is “unsustainable” without radical change.
Now, Dr Ahmad and Portree Dental Care seem to be offering a potential solution, at least for some.
In the application, he writes: “The proposal involves utilising the existing building for a dental practice in line with the Scottish government’s initiative to improve access to NHS dentistry in Inverness.
“The building has been identified as suitable for this purpose without the need for any internal or external modifications.
“The only required action is to request a change of class from its current classification, class 4, to a suitable classification for a dental practice, which is class 1.”
Where will the new dentist be in Inverness?
The building is at 24 Bank Street, on the city centre side of the river.
It is a listed building, attached to Dr Black’s Memorial Hall, which houses the Performers UK performing arts school.
On the other side is the car park for the Mercure Hotel.
The listing for the building says it has been fully refurbished inside.
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