On the 1^st of September 2020, there were significant changes to the English planning system.

In this blog the adjustments will be listed, as well as why they have been made and what these changes mean for the dental industry.

So, what are the significant changes to the English planning system?

The new changes modernise the old class system of grounds. Before, there were 17 different classes. However, this has now been reduced to just three:

Class E:

Commercial, business and service, this includes:

• Retail,
• Indoor sports
• Nurseries
• Restaurants
• Offices
• Financial/professional services
• Dental and medical clinics.

Class F.1:

Learning and non-residential institutions, this includes:

• Non-residential educational uses
• Public halls
• Religious institutions
• Museums
• Art galleries
• Libraries
• Courts of law

Class F.2:

Local community, this includes:

• The use as a shop of no more than 280 sqm mostly selling essentials such as food, and 1km or more from another similar store
• Use as a community hall
• Area for outdoor sport

Why have these revisions happened?

The shifts in classes have mainly been brought in because of the shutting down of many of our high street shops. This is because of the result of being hit badly by multiple national lockdowns. However, now vacant building spaces can be repurposed, and the space will not go to spare.

Therefore, this way, less companies will need to apply for a change of use as more businesses now fall under the same classifications.

So what do these changes mean for dentists now?

The most notable change is the design of a new “Commercial, Business and Service” also known as “Class E”. So, class E groups together a wide range of uses, all of which are now deemed to be in the same use class:

• Retail
• Publicly accessible indoor sport, recreation or fitness
• Financial, professional or other commercial services
• Publicly available medical or health services
• Industrial uses which do not harm amenity
• Restaurants
• Crèches, day nurseries and day centres
• Offices, including research and development

Therefore, planning permission is no longer required for changes of use within the same class. For instance, a dental surgery can now be unveiled in any of the property areas mentioned above devoid of the need for change of use to the prior D1 category.

So, this is a good change of legislation and many industries including the dental sector will profit from the new class.

From now, this now means it’s a far smoother shift to start up or open a dental clinic in an current premises than it was ever before.

Contact Us

If you want to learn more about the significant changes to the English planning system, then please get in touch. Give us a call on 01494 611 456, or send an email to hello@westwon.dental

Have you got your eye on new work benches, a top-of-the-line 3D printer, or even industrial milling equipment but worried about how to fund your vision? Well you need look no further. Our dental lab finance options allow you to spread the cost of your equipment into manageable monthly payments. Here at WestWon Dental our purpose is to make your professional dreams come to life.

We are living in uniquely challenging times- and there’s no escaping it. But for those of us working in the dentistry industry, it’s not all gloom and doom.

Whilst, of course, Covid-19 in itself was unexpected, an unanticipated outcome of the remote working culture was the “Zoom boom” desire for cosmetic dentistry. This, naturally, requires technical work to be completed and so dental labs are in high demand.

You may now be wondering, how can you meet that kind of demand should new equipment or any other kind of large investment be prudent, without affecting your cash flow of your stress levels?

The good news is that we have the answer in the form of equipment finance and business loans. For example, to date, we have supported dental lab professionals with over £3.2 of finance in 2022, which certainly means we are one of the leading dedicated finance brokers servicing the dental sector.

But don’t just take our word for it, hear what our clients have to say about us. Lab owner, Phil Reddington, wanted a new milling unit for his business. We were able to organise finance for this within a 24 hour turnaround. Phil spoke on his experience with WestWon : “Richard organised everything, provided the necessary funding to purchase the new milling equipment and organised our funding within 24 hours. It has been one of the simplest and easiest processes I have ever experienced.”

So, what are your finance options?

One possible solution is equipment finance or a capital loan, both of which offer several benefits in addition to maintaining a healthy cash flow, for example:

• Alternative lines of funding

This means you don’t have to use up an existing bank facility

• VAT consideration

On VAT funded agreements, the VAT  is included in the rental, not in a lump sum.

• Pay for your equipment as you use it

You wouldn’t pay your employees’ salaries years in advance so why pay for your equipment this way?

• Remain competitive

Through finance, you can always have the latest dental technology as your disposal by implementing a recycling strategy. A recycling strategy is where you replace your used equipment at the end of a lease term.

• Keep up with demand

As demand grows for your services, you can invest in the equipment to align with the demand. Also, having a fixed monthly repayment plan ensures you have a clear ROI.

• Tax Planning

If you are a sole trader, in a partnership entity, or Limited company, using a lease rental agreement allows you to claim 100% of your rental against your corporation tax. Alternatively, a hire purchase will enable you to claim the super tax deductions of the 130%. You should also know that the super deduction tax scheme has now been prolonged until March 2023. However, after that, there is a planned corporation tax rise.

In addition to this, we support dental labs with sale and lease back, also known as equipment refinancing. In a nutshell, this is where a dental lab may have made a purchase in the last 3 months and now wish to reimburse the business and put the equipment on a finance agreement. This is a fast and effective way to improve your cash flow, as well as enabling the reimbursed cash go towards other areas in your business.

Doing good beyond the business

With all of us becoming increasingly aware of the environmental risk to both the planet and future generations, many dental labs and embracing corporate social responsibility.

We know how important these issues are, and that is why we have made it so that you can do good through your leasing choices. Therefore, as of the beginning of this year, we introduced a new initiative- The WestWon Woodland. This is where we have a tree planted for every month of a lease agreement made through us. It is as simple as that. We don’t need anything from you. You will receive a certificate of plantation which will tell you how many trees and how much carbon has been offset through your agreement with us. Here at WestWon we value transparency, and that is why we have made it so that you can track the expansion of the WestWon Woodland. The WestWon Woodland consists of a myriad of tree planting locations around the world which you can see by clicking on the button below!

The WestWon Woodland is just another way of how undertaking an agreement via WestWon not only benefits you, but in this case also environmental efforts.

Our Progress

Currently, we have 13,815 flourishing trees in the widespread WestWon Woodland. This makes us on target to meeting our ultimate goal of 100,000 trees by 2026! Once we have achieved this, we would have removed 7,500 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere.

Step this way to achieve your goals

Here at WestWon, we do what we can to ensure each client is able to take full advantage of all tax breaks and bring savings to the business, alongside an easy and simple application process.

Working with our panel of partners, we support the dental labs throughout the UK.

Get in Touch

If you would like to learn more about how we can support your lab’s growth, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Call us on 01494 611 456. Or drop an email to hello@westwon.dental and a member of our friendly team will get back to you shortly!

Your financing choices can help to combat climate change

At WestWon, we understand and support dental practices’ need and desire to flourish financially. All whilst offering the best possible patient care and treatment outcomes.

For those looking to grow their dental practice, the level of investment required can seem daunting. However, leasing and asset finance to fund equipment offers a simple and reliable route to success.

You may not be aware that you can also do good through your leasing choices.

At WestWon, we feel driven to do our bit to combat climate change and so are one of the first climate positive leasing companies in the UK.

Our initiative means that when you proceed with a lease agreement with us, we will plant a tree for every month of the lease term in The WestWon Woodland.

It’s as simple as that. We don’t need anything from you, and you will receive a certificate of planting as well as a link to our very own WestWon forest. This is where you can see your trees being brought to life.

Our aim is to plant 100,000 trees within The WestWon Woodland and remove 7,500 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere over the next five years.

So, not only do our funding options enable you to obtain equipment finance for a start-up business or to inject some cash into an established business, they also support your environmental efforts. As well as forming the basis of a PR story that you can proudly shout about on social media that will help to build your brand and your business.

Contact Us

For more information on how your financing choices can help combat climate change, or for any information on finance needs you may have, please get in touch on 01494 611 456 or send an email to hello@westwon.dental

Finding a finance agreement best suited to your business needs can be overwhelming when new to the world of finance. Therefore, we thought it best to write a blog outlining your options when it comes to leasing and asset finance for your dental business. See below for more information on finance options for businesses.

What are my finance options?

Hire Purchase

This is our most popular service, as it allows you to own the asset once all payments have been paid in full. The cost can be spread over a term of usually 1 to 5 years.

However, depending on the agreement, you could be responsible for the maintenance of the asset.

This is ideal for assets that don’t require updating. For example, an appreciating asset, this means an asset that increases in value over time. Or simply an asset that you know you won’t need to refresh any time soon.

However, please bear in mind that with this finance option VAT is to be paid in full upfront with your first monthly payment.

Equipment leasing and finance

This usually involves a lender leasing an asset to you over an agreed period. You will then again repay the lender in monthly instalments until your lease term is up.

This is the most cash flow efficient way of leasing as it ensures a big sum of cash isn’t taken out of your business all at once.

So, if your aim is to ease up your cash flow whilst also obtaining your desired equipment, then this finance option might be the best one for you.

Though, unlike a hire purchase you most likely will not have ownership of the asset once the agreement is over. However, each lender has different terms, so depending on your needs, a finance agreement could be made tailored to you.

Finance lease

A finance lease, AKA a lease rental, is typically where the finance company purchases your chosen asset to then lease back to you.

Many businesses opt for this form of finance due to the tax benefits that come with them. Lease rentals are fully deductible against your company’s corporation tax. To add, the VAT is spread along with the repayments instead of having to pay it all in a hefty lump sum.

Operating lease

An operating lease is similar to a finance lease, the main difference being that you will not have ownership rights over the asset. An operating lease is also usually shorter than a finance lease.

Benefits to asset finance and leasing

• Cash flow- instantly ease your cash flow with a finance option.
• Alternative funding lines- with a finance option there is no need to use up an existing bank
• Access the latest equipment- through an affordable finance option, the most modern technologies will be made more cash flow efficient.
• Pay for your equipment as your use it- this way you are paying for your equipment as it brings value to your company. You wouldn’t pay your employees 5 years upfront so why pay for your equipment in advance?
• Tax benefits- by using a finance lease you pay you VAT in affordable amounts as opposed to upfront. Not to mention this way 100% of your rental is deductible against your company’s corporation tax.

Contact Us

Should you need further guidance on finance options for businesses, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Give us a call on 01494 611 456. Alternatively, send an email to hello@westwon.dental

We are delighted to announce that we have been nominated as finalists for two award categories in the dental industry awards. So, we are proud finalists for the following categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, and Funder of the Year award.

The dental industry awards are designed to recognise and celebrate those who work in and alongside the UK dental sector. We are so excited to be attending as finalists to this amazing event for the second year in a row!

Why we believe we were chosen as strong candidates for both awards:

Corporate Social Responsibility

Here at WestWon Dental, we are deeply committed to corporate social responsibility. We strongly believe in the importance of corporations giving back to society.

So, whether that be local, a different continent, or even globally, we try our best to make the world a better place wherever we can.

Leeds Big Sleep

An example of how we like to help out locally is fundraising events such as the Leeds Big Sleep that our sales director Richard Porter is getting involved in this November. Living in Leeds himself, he has seen first hand the increasing problem with homelessness in his local area. So, he took it upon himself to do something about it.

Therefore, on the 24^th November he will be giving up one night of comfort to get a feel for what it is like for thousands of homeless people every night. The money raised from this then goes towards 3 Leeds based charities: St George’s Crypt, St Gemma’s Hospice, and the Leeds Rhino Foundation.

Wells On Wheels

We also like to make our impact overseas. Therefore, for every WestWon Dental finance agreement we donate to the charity Wells on Wheels. This amazing charity helps the woman and children of rural India.

Women and children are usually allocated the task of walking miles to get water for the family. They have to walk miles with heavy pots of water on their heads which inevitably leads to long term health conditions that interfere with their daily lives.

However, Wells on Wheels provide easier means of collecting water for women and children in rural India. They have designed a large water drum with handles on each side allowing them to roll to and from the water source with ease. This saves them risking their physical health as well as children having to compromise their education time to collect what they need to survive.

The WestWon Woodland

Then, our initiative making a more global impact, The WestWon Woodland. If you didn’t know already, The WestWon Woodland is our environmentally focused incentive. This is whereby we have a tree planted for each month of any finance agreement made through us.

For example, for a 5-year agreement that’s 60 trees planted in The WestWon Woodland.

Now, the WestWon Woodland is not an actual place, rather a collective name for all the trees we have planted across the world. Currently, we have 17,490 trees planted in 12 different countries. These trees will then grow to remove 580.705 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere! But we don’t plan on stopping here. We aim to have 100,000 trees planted and 7,500 tonnes of carbon removed in the WestWon Woodland by 2026!

Not to mention the fact that we are a climate positive company. This means that we pay for a service that offsets all employee carbon emissions. This is done through a multitude of climate positive projects around the world. But of course, in addition to this, we make sure that we are acting sustainably as possible as a business.

We also like to make everything as transparent as possible. Therefore, all of our tree planting and environmentally focused projects can be tracked on our very own virtual WestWon Woodland below.

Funder of the year

Being the only dedicated finance broker to the dental sector we feel as though we are in a strong position to obtaining this award. The way we look at it is that we have 25 years’ experience working alongside the dental sector. So, it is safe to say that any dental business looking to finance through us is in safe hands.

We have made it so that we are a one stop shop for the finance needs of dental practices and laboratories in the UK. We work with a myriad of funders that finance non-medical equipment to make this possible. This then enables us to finance surgery build extensions, practice expansion, vehicles, and other non-tangible items.

But enough about us. Congratulations to all the fellow finalists and we look forward to seeing you at the Dental Industry Awards ceremony in December!

Contact Us

Are you a UK dental business that could do with a cash flow lift? If so, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to explore your finance options with us. Give us a call on 01494 611 456, or send us an email to hello@westwon.dental and a friendly member of our expert team will get back to you in no time!