Plans Approved to Turn Former Narberth Art Gallery into Healthcare Hub

Plans to turn a former art gallery on the edge of a Pembrokeshire town into a healthcare hub have been approved after an earlier application was refused.
In an application refused by Pembrokeshire County Council in April, Ahmed Abouserwel, through agent A.D Architectural Design Consultants Ltd, sought permission to turn the former Kadinsky gallery on Redstone Road, Narberth, into a dental surgery, with associated works.
A supporting statement said the plan by Dr Abouserwel, founder of Narberth’s Winchester House Dental Practice, would create 10 full-time and three part-time jobs.
But a council officer’s report said the highways authority recommended refusal because there was not enough evidence on road safety and parking capacity.
The officer report stressed there was “no in-principle objection to the redevelopment of this established site for a dental surgery,” but insufficient information had been provided to fully assess the scheme.
Since then, a fresh more ambitious application was submitted aimed at addressing the previous reasons for refusal, with no objections received by local town council Narberth.
A supporting statement said the proposed redevelopment from Kadinsky to Winchester House Healthcare, “will transform an underutilised commercial building into a high-quality healthcare facility that brings together a range of complementary healthcare services under one roof, creating a new healthcare destination for Narberth and the wider region”.
“Dr Ahmed Abouserwel, founder of the existing Winchester House Dental Practice in Narberth, has established one of Pembrokeshire’s leading private dental practices, recognised for delivering high-quality patient care and advanced clinical treatments.”
It went on to say: “The proposed healthcare centre will bring together emergency and routine dentistry, advanced restorative and specialist dental care, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services, physiotherapy and musculoskeletal treatment, a dedicated sleep clinic and wider preventative healthcare services within a single integrated facility.
“Rather than representing an expansion of an existing dental practice, the proposal establishes a genuine multidisciplinary healthcare hub where complementary services operate together, promoting collaboration between healthcare professionals and delivering more coordinated, patient-centred care.”
The applicant’s business case forecasts 19 full-time jobs at the site by its fifth year.
A report recommending approval said highways officers found that, although the proposal would change traffic patterns, the existing access, parking, appointment system and travel-plan measures were sufficient to limit transport impacts.
It concluded: “The proposed change of use of the vacant former storage building to a dental surgery and healthcare facility represents an appropriate and sustainable form of development within the Narberth settlement boundary.
“The development would bring a redundant commercial building back into beneficial use, improve access to local healthcare services, provide employment opportunities and incorporate biodiversity enhancements, without giving rise to unacceptable impacts on the character of the area, neighbouring amenity or highway safety.”
The application was conditionally approved. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​