The following planning applications relate to some of the biggest development stories in Oldham which have been approved this week.

Former restaurant to become flats

A former restaurant near Oldham town centre is set to be converted into 15 apartments after planning permission was approved.

The former Salt Cellar restaurant on Church Lane, adjacent to Oldham Parish Church, closed down in 2022 but will now be converted into new flats.

The building, built around 1800, was converted to a restaurant and resource centre run by the Methodist Church, including offices, in 1990 but has been vacant since the closure of Salt Cellar.

Of the 15 apartments, nine will be one-bedroom and six with be two-bedroom units.

The plans were originally submitted in August last year and were formally approved on Thursday (February 8).

New children's home granted

A house in Oldham is set to become a children's home housing three children.

The property will see no significant external engineering or building works take place as part of the conversion.

Along with three children living there, three carers would also be present in the property, two of whom would sleep at the premises overnight.

A certificate of lawfulness was granted on Wednesday (February 7).

New homes on Green Belt land

Four new houses are set to be built on Green Belt land in Saddleworth, which will see the demolition of an agricultural barn.

Plans were originally submitted more than two years ago in January 2022, which looked to develop four terraced houses on Ripponden Road in Denshaw, on land which forms part of Hey House Farm and is across the road from The Moorlands caravan park.

The site currently has a large stone barn which sits parallel to Ripponden Road and is described as "weather beaten and in need of repair" by Chorlton Planning Ltd in a planning statement prepared on behalf of the applicants, who are the occupants of the farm.

Despite the fact the houses will be developed on Green Belt land, they were deemed appropriate by planning officer Emma Breheny, who said "very special circumstances exist to outweigh the harm caused by the proposed development".

In February 2021, permission was granted to demolish the barn and replace it with one large dwelling, however the new plans to develop several homes instead were submitted.

Ms Breheny said "great weight" was afforded to the new plans being appropriate given the previous application was still extant.