Planning Committee says temporary dental unit at hospital is 'government failure'

Chair Rob Callister told a hearing yesterday (8 June) that the situation is ‘unfortunate’ and he felt that the dentist facility should be inside the hospital rather than in the car park.

The application, made by Manx Care, is for a temporary mobile dental suite which will be located in the car park next to the main building.

It will take over roughly 10 parking spaces and is likely to be in place for 18 months.

The proposal comes after the closure of the Martin Ward which was announced in October 2025 - initially due to pest control problems.

Since then, an independent survey found the hospital needs roughly £4 million of ‘immediate investment’ to address critical building and infrastructure issues.

Smile Dental Care were operating from the site but were temporarily relocated to Hillside Dental before its provision stopped in April this year.

Mr Callister told the committee hearing it was a ‘sorry state’ adding it ‘isn’t great’ that the hospital needs a mobile dental unit.

However he did say that the service is ‘essential’ for residents in the north as there are no alternative providers.