Pub chain won’t throw in the towel

NATIONAL pub chain Wetherspoons is pushing forward with its attempt to open in Shaw.

A fresh planning application has been submitted to Oldham Council after the first one was withdrawn in February following objections from residents and councillors.

If the new application is approved, Wetherspoons will transform the former Greensway Shopping Centre in Milnrow Road.

Retail units in the shopping centre have stood vacant since a blaze ripped through the premises in December, 2009.

Concerns were raised over the original application’s proposal to create an outdoor drinking area at the back of the pub but this has been removed from the resubmitted plan.

Council leader Howard Sykes, who is also a ward councillor and a Shaw Parish councillor, contacted Wetherspoons when the original plan was withdrawn to help them move forward successfully.

He explained the concerns of councillors, residents and local business owners but said the community as a whole welcomed the idea of a new pub.

The new application details the pub chain’s plan to create a new shop front and completely refurbish the building’s interior.

Feature fireplaces and sculptures will adorn the inside along with commissioned pieces from local artists that celebrate the history of the area.

Opening hours will be 7am-12.30am Monday to Friday and 7am-1.30am on Saturdays and Sundays.

The development would bring much-needed jobs and investment to the dilapidated site.

Wetherspoons has 793 pubs nationwide, including the Up Steps and The Squire Knott in Oldham town centre, and is renowned for low prices and long opening hours.

The application will go before Oldham Council’s planning committee next month.