Building a new dental practice? Don’t jump the gun! - Roger Gullidge

The thought of moving the premises of a practice can prove very exciting for a dentist. If put under pressure by the landlord or the limitations of the building that the practice currently operates from, a dentist may begin to take a look outside of their box and search for greener pastures. This can even turn out to be quite a practical solution. If the practice is set to move from premises that were once residential, reverting it back that way can be relatively easy and will increase the value of the property. However, it is an all too often occurrence that the over eagerness to move can result in this process being carried out much too hastily and this can have catastrophic repercussions.

When a dentist finds a plot of land or building that they like which appears to be redundant, they may find themselves getting very eager to dive head first into the project. A building that hasn’t been inhabited for some time may seem to harbour a lot of potential. The thought of renovating such a property into a stylish new dental practice can be quite enticing to a dentist and this enthusiasm can kick-start the project prematurely. The dentist will seek an agent to find out what the land or building will cost to buy, with the likely response from the agent being something along the lines of, “Go ahead, I’m sure you can get it”. This will usually trigger involvement from other services such as banks or a surveyor who will be bought in to draw up the area. The unfortunate thing is that all of this “progress” is usually made without making sure that the project is attainable. Firstly it will need to be checked if the project is viable in terms of construction and cost. Secondly it is necessary to establish whether or not the project will ever receive planning permission. Having jumped the gun without having first examined whether the project can even go ahead, a list of bills will already have begun to accumulate for the professional help that has been enlisted.

Finding out whether or not planning permission is likely does not always require plans to be drawn up or any other expensive services. All that needs to be arranged is a pre-consultation with the local authority. This is essential, as without planning permission the project will never happen. It is also wise to attain a price guide from a company who specialise in dental design, as they will be aware of the construction costs incurred when developing a new practice. Their experience will mean that they are qualified to provide advice as to what possibilities of the site are and roughly how much it will cost per m². Completing these basic early enquiries are essential as they can save a lot of money from being wasted should the project not get the green light. Considering how easy and inexpensive they are to accomplish it is a wonder than any project is embarked upon without this basic research taking place first.

This is the benefit of involving a specialised Architectural Design Service early on in the project. A company like such as Roger Gullidge Design will be able to assess the feasibility of a project both in both a construction and financial sense. This can involve anything from checking whether the property has D1 use on it and whether or not it is likely to receive it. This can also entail examining whether or not the building or patch of land will lend itself to a dental practice. For example, if your current practice has four surgeries will the new building be able to accommodate this? If it can’t facilitate the right number of surgeries, can it be extended? And subsequently, what will be the cost of this? Conducting a feasibility check is an economical decision as it will save time and money if it comes to light that the project was never in budget from the beginning. Carrying out a feasibility check may seem obvious, but many dentists put wheels in motion too quickly when the prospect of building a new dental practice presents itself.

There is an example of a dentist who wanted to move his practice for a whole abundance of reasons and found what he thought was the perfect building. It was within his budget and it seemed to fit the requirements of his practice. He hired a builder to take a look at the property and assess how much it would cost to develop and when the builder came back to him it was within his price guide. He then instructed the builder to have the building surveyed and have space plans drawn up. Then a specialist dental design company were introduced to the project and they put together some detailed surgery plans. Despite all of this professional involvement nobody had contacted the local authority to see if the building would be granted D1 use or if it was in a conservation area. After a meeting with the highway department it transpired that they wouldn’t allow access from the parking area of the practice to the main road as it would produce extra traffic to an area already suffering from congestion. The project could not go ahead and a lot of time and money was wasted as a result. Had the meeting with the authorities been set up earlier this situation would have never arisen.

The lesson here is that investing in an Architectural Design Service early on will limit the chances of money and time being squandered on a project that will never get off the ground. By conducting a feasibility check the boundaries of the project can be specified and whether or not it can go ahead will be determined. The prospect of building a new dental practice can indeed be an exciting venture, but don’t run before you can walk. Enlist the services of experienced professionals who can conduct a feasibility check and make sure that no time or money goes to waste.

Roger Gullidge Design is a specialist design and project management consultancy specialising in the dental sector. Call 01278 784442 for more details or visit: www.rogergullidgedesign.com