News / bedminster
Dentist in new health hub is a ‘massive need’ for the community
The council has approved an application for a ‘health hub’ which will include a dedicated dentist for over 2,000 patients.
Omega Dental will soon be relocating to the corner of Canon Street and East Street, just a minute’s walk away from their current home on North Street.
Plans include the redevelopment of Bedminster Pharmacy, William Hill and the HSBC building for the creation of a new ground-floor dentist practice and pharmacy with 58 co-living homes dedicated to healthcare workers.
is needed now More than ever
The front of the current HSBC building will be retained under the plans – photo: Quattro Architects
Within these homes will be luxurious amenities like a gym, cinema and co-working space.
The project has a “special significance” for Tariq Muhammad, a Bristol resident who once owned a pharmacy at the same site. Being the leading force behind the development, Muhammad said: “It was always very important to me that this site would contribute towards the health needs of the community and provide much needed accommodation for healthcare professionals. It has special significance for me, as it was where I started my business almost 30 years ago.
“I opened my first pharmacy at the location of the current pharmacy and owe much of my success in business to these humble beginnings.
“We acquired the two neighbouring buildings after they became vacant and started falling into disrepair. Our vision was always to create some form of health hub on the ground floor.”
Soon after Southville councillor Christine Townsend proposed a dentist for the new space, Muhammad was delighted to find Omega Dental.
Talking about the ongoing dentist crisis in the city, councillor Townsend said: “Clearly there’s a massive need for more dentists in Bristol. As local councillors, we’ve been impressed by how Tariq and his team have engaged with us, listened to what our community needs – and made it happen.”
Stefanos Kyriakidis of Omega Dental admitted that they already had “a significant waiting list” of patients.
They further added: “This is exciting. The plans will allow us to have more dentists, more treatment rooms and take on more patients.
“It will – of course – depend on additional funding from the NHS, but we are confident we will be able to take on about a further two thousand new patients – up to half of those could be NHS patients.
“These things take a lot of planning! Nothing would change for about two years. When the site is nearly complete, the ground floor will be fitted out with all the dental equipment we need. We would increase the number of practice rooms from the current two to five.
Main photo: Conversation PR
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