Plans to double size of dental surgery

Plans to double the size of a Blackheath dental surgery to cope with rising demand have been revealed.

Bhandal Dental Practice in Birmingham Road, Blackheath, has submitted plans to Sandwell Council asking for permission to expand its facilities into the town’s former Barclays bank. 

The expansion would double the number of surgery rooms at the dental practice to 16 as well as provide larger waiting rooms and more offices and storage facilities. 

A statement included with the application said: “Finding an NHS dentist in Blackheath can be challenging with many practices at capacity or not accepting new patients. 

“Bhandal Dental Practice has historically operated at capacity, highlighting high demand in the immediate area. 

“Increasing the footprint of the practice with the creation of eight more surgeries will support the ever-increasing need for high-quality NHS dentistry provision for local people.”

A new two-storey extension linking the existing dental surgery and the former bank would also be built according to the application by Dr Baljit Bhandal.

Sandwell Council approved plans by Dr Bhandal to convert the former bank into six two-bed flats in 2024 but the work was not carried out. 

The earlier plans said the location of the former bank meant the planned conversion would make an “encouraging first impression” for Blackheath.

Blackheath’s former Barclays branch closed in April 2023 as part of a string of closures by the bank and has remained empty since.

Barclays said the closure was forced by the majority of its customers moving to online banking – claiming that only two of its customers in Blackheath used the Birmingham Road branch as their sole means of banking.