The closure of the dentist in Whitburn was unexpected for most residents, especially as the new practice will be situated five miles away in St Catherine's Court, Sunderland. We asked MyDentist and the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) for more information on the reasons behind the closure, to understand whether impacts on Whitburn had been taken into account. They told us that the reason why the practice closed was: 

• The Whitburn practice had outdated facilities and limited space. Alongside its location, this made it hard to attract and retain qualified dental clinicians.
• The building in Whitburn is small, with limited opportunity to expand, while it was in need of renovation - these improvements were considered too costly and not viable.
• Mydentist said they would hand back their NHS contract if the relocation was not approved, which would have meant a complete loss of NHS dental access in the area.
• A consultation was held with over 10,000 patients in Whitburn and Southwick. Feedback showed 80% support for the move, but response rates from Whitburn were lower and showed lower levels of support for the move. Concerns raised from Whitburn residents were mostly on distance and traffic.
• MyDentist met with South Tyneside Council and the ICB, and they agreed to moving the practice to Sunderland.  
• Patients were informed of the closure when they were due an appointment.

The Forum has outstanding concerns:

• It seemed that the decision had already been made by MyDentist to move out of Whitburn and the consultation was a tick-box exercise to fulfil requirements set by the NHS and ICB.
• We have now lost an important local, familiar health service that has left Whitburn residents without access to a dentist within short travel distance.
• Travel distance and time has significantly increased,  particularly for older or less mobile patients. A short walk has been replaced with a long bus ride, or the need to use a car.
• No assessment was completed on whether patients will be able to travel to the new practice, either due to lack of car, or due to the fact that bus links are poor to the new site. Travel from Whitburn will require a change of buses and take at least 40 minutes.
• The low response rates from Whitburn, alongside a higher level of concern in the responses that were received, suggests our community is being disproportionately affected. The Forum has also heard from residents who did not receive the consultation at all.
• The  way the closure was communicated meant that many people who did not have upcoming appointments were not informed until a long time after the closure, which caused confusion and uncertainty.
• We believe that more effort should have been made to reach and listen to those who will be affected the most, especially older residents.

We have responded to My Dentist and the ICB with our concerns.

In February 2025, the Council voted against submitting its draft Local Plan for examination for the second time (the first time was in 2024). This decision was influenced by concerns over proposed developments, including plans to build 1,200 homes on green belt land in Fellgate. Whitburn Neighbourhood Forum had outstanding concerns regarding the impact of development in Whitburn and surrounding areas on sewage pollution in the North Sea, in addition to impacts on green infrastructure and the environment. The Forum also disagreed with the high level of proposed housing targets.

Following the Council's decision, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Matthew Pennycook, intervened. He issued a direction mandating the Council to submit the existing draft Local Plan for examination by 12 March 2025. The reason for the intervention was based on the fact that South Tyneside's current Local Plan, adopted in June 2007, was significantly outdated, and the Council's repeated failure to progress a new plan left the area vulnerable to speculative development.
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The public examination of the draft Local Plan is scheduled to commence in July 2025. An independent Planning Inspector will assess the plan's legal compliance and soundness, considering factors such as housing and employment needs, spatial strategy, and the distribution of development. Whitburn Neighbourhood Forum intends to participate in this to re-iterate our concerns that no measures have been taken to prevent further sewage pollution, which will worsen if more houses are added to the sewage system. Sewage pollution was the reason that recently two planning applications for development in Whitburn and Boldon were rejected by the planning committee.

Looking ahead, if the current plan is adopted, South Tyneside Council will need to immediately begin preparing a new Local Plan to align with the updated National Planning Policy Framework and its higher housing targets. The current draft Local Plan aims to deliver 309 homes per year. However, changes to the standard method for calculating housing need under the new NPPF increased South Tyneside's annual housing requirement to 623 homes. 

For more information on the Local Plan and its examination process, please visit the South Tyneside Council's Local Plan webpages.