Members of the island’s planning committee expressed dismay at having no choice but to approve plans for a mobile dental unit at Ramsey Cottage Hospital.

The unit, mounted on an lorry trailer, is planned to be in place for up to 18 months while protracted refurbishment works at the hospital are completed.

It will provide a base for Smile Dental Care which has been left without a permanent base since the refurbishment works began.

Committee chairman Rob Callister said he was ‘really angry’ about Manx Care’s application.

‘It’s a sorry situation. It’s not a good message about health and social care,’ he said, adding that the mobile unit was only needed ‘because they have not maintained the hospital properly’.

He said it demonstrated a ‘lack of forward planning, foresight and vision’ by government.

Colleague Adele Betteridge said she was ‘appalled’.

‘I dread to think what we are spending on this mobile unit. It seems ridiculous,’ she said.

And Sam Skelton said it was a bit like temporary classrooms that ended up being far from temporary. He predicted that Manx Care would be putting an application for an extension in 18 months’ time.

But the committee voted unanimously to approve the application, with members noting that they had no choice.

In its application (26/00424/B), Manx Care said the unit was required on a temporary basis to address the ‘unforeseen closure’ of Ramsey District Cottage Hospital for extensive refurbishment.

The north of the island has been without NHS dental services since December 2025.

Initial assessments indicated that the Cottage Hospital could be refurbished and made operationally safe by April 2026.

But subsequent investigations identified other significant defects which have resulted in delays to the reinstatement of some services.

Planning officer Chris Balmer said Manx Care had another application pending for a larger unit to house renal services at the Cottage Hospital