I have been contacted by a number of constituents concerned about the proposal to demolish the Bowling Green public house on Manchester Road. The plans submitted seek to replace the current pub with a drive thru KFC and Starbucks.
I have been a longstanding campaigner for local pubs, I believe they are important to community life and the decline over decades across the country has meant the loss of too many neighbourhoods. It should be said that JW Lees as a local brewer and pub operator do a great deal to ensure the viability of local pubs, and that is seen in its number of thriving venues with investment across the borough.
In the North West alone we’ve seen a loss of 27% of pubs, and that number of repeated in the Oldham West & Royton constituency where we’ve seen 20 lost since 2010. But that in itself doesn’t tell the full story because smaller pubs which you would think about as the ‘traditional pub’ have seen a rapid decline of 25 closures (-38%) but larger pubs (employing more than 10 people) have increased from 10 to 15 in the same period.
For those who frequent the pub I have also provided a link to a scheme called the Asset of Community Value. The Co-operative Party, whose Parliamentary Group I chair, has been active in promoting the ‘Love it, list it’ campaign. https://party.coop/loveitlistit Beyond this application many community facilities are being lost, and they materially affect how it feels to live in a neighbourhood.
By listing them, though not offering unlimited protection, does give greater protection and rights for the community than had it not been listed.You can read more on Assets of Community Value here https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06366/
Jim McMahon OBE MP 