Former pub could be demolished by Colin the Caterpillar creators

A former pub in Oldham could be demolished by the creators of Colin the Caterpillar. Park Cakes Bakery, which produces the bug-shaped sweet treat for M&S, plans to bulldoze the former Honeywell Arms in Medlock Vale.

The two-storey boozer on 491 Ashton Road closed down in September 2024 and has stood vacant and boarded-up for more than a year. Before that, the building was a long-standing business with a private flat for the pub landlords on the first floor and a ‘modest’ car park to the rear of the property. 

It’s surrounded on all sides by a number of terraced homes and businesses. 

Now the bakery plans to level the site, which sits directly opposite the Park Cakes Bakery warehouse off Ashton Road, at the beginning of Beehive St. 

The planning application was validated by Oldham Council earlier this week, with a decision expected by December 22. 

Town planners previously rejected an application from the cake makers, which sought prior approval to demolish the building. This would have allowed the building to be knocked down under ‘permitted development’ rights. 

But under planning law, buildings that were last used as active businesses such as pubs are exempt from permitted development unless they have stood vacant for several years, which is why the bakery has now had to submit a full planning application. 

An officer wrote: “The building’s last lawful use was as a public house. … Based on site history, photographic evidence and absence of any material change of use, it is considered that this use continued until at least 2024. The proposed demolition therefore does not constitute permitted development and cannot be considered under the prior approval provisions.” 

The town planners previously noted that the proposed methods of knocking down the building would be acceptable. The original plans suggest the demolition would take place over two weeks, with public footways blocked off to keep pedestrians safe.

Construction workers would carry out asbestos tests before the demolition, and use damping and acoustic screening to keep down noise and dust pollution. 

The application has received no objections so far.