Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon has spoken out after plans to demolish a 19th-century Chadderton pub were submitted.
The Owd Tatts pub on Butler Green in Chadderton is currently boarded up.
Applicants want to build a new convenience store on the current site – expected to sell a range of groceries, including alcohol, ready meals, and fruit and vegetables.
In May 2021, Mr McMahon referred to the pub in his blog, in a post entitled "If we fail to protect our pubs, we will be left weaker".
In the blog, the MP wrote that “[…] for the local pub, much more should be done to step in and provide communities the support they need to stop the loss of what can still be viable assets.”
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Referring to the Owd Tatts in his post, the MP said the pub "was under pressure before the pandemic hit".
Reacting to the news of recently submitted plans to demolish the pub, Mr McMahon said: “We are seeing a marked decline in pubs in Oldham and across the country.
“Pubs are vital for bringing the community together and they should be protected, however with the Owd Tatts site we have seen it grow into an increasing state of disrepair and ruin, with many in the local area describing its current state as an eyesore.
“Therefore, it is good that a local company will take on the site and renew it bringing the site back into a good standard for the local area.”
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The MP’s reaction echoes that of local Labour councillors, who said the area is currently a fly-tipping hotspot.
In a statement, Labour Cllr Holly Harrison said: “I've no doubt that many residents will welcome this proposal, and from what is available at the present time I welcome this proposal along with my ward colleagues.
“The car park has been a fly-tipping hotspot for many years and the landowner has done what they reasonably could to try and maintain the site.
"With the store facing the car park hopefully this will deter such fly tipping in the future
“This application is still in the early stages but there is no doubt that this would greatly enhance the site.”
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