Plans for a convenience store and coffee shop at the former Clough Manor hotel in Denshaw have been refused by Oldham Council, with planning officers branding the proposal as harmful to the Green Belt and unsustainable.

The application, submitted by Sophia Hartwell of Saddleworth Holdings Ltd, sought to transform part of the hotel's car park—which now operates as the W.Apart Hotel—into a retail unit with a coffee shop called Coffee n Cake. The proposal also included electric vehicle charging bays, cycle charging points, a self-service car wash, and a taxi call point.

Despite being described by the applicant as a 'high-quality enhancement,' council planners concluded that the development would not improve the economic, social, or environmental conditions of the area. In a decision report, they stated: "The proposed development does not comprise sustainable development." Officers noted that alternative solutions were suggested during the process, but the applicant was unwilling to amend the scheme to make it acceptable.

The site sits in the Green Belt, a designation that strictly limits development. The report emphasised that the proposal constituted 'inappropriate development,' which is by definition harmful to the Green Belt and should only be approved in very special circumstances. Officers wrote: "The development does not meet the exception for the redevelopment of previously developed land, as the scale, massing and elevated siting of the building would result in substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt, both spatially and visually."

The refusal also cited a failure to meet criteria for commercial development in the Green Belt. No evidence was provided to demonstrate an unmet need for the proposed Class E use, nor was the site justified as 'grey belt'—a designation for previously developed land that may be considered for development in certain circumstances. The council's decision was grounded in conflicts with national and local planning policies, including paragraphs 142, 153, 154, and 155 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), and Oldham's Local Plan Policy 22.

The former Clough Manor has been at the centre of several planning applications in recent years. Past proposals have included converting much of the site into a residential institution and turning its kitchen into eight apartments. The venue, once a well-known hotel and restaurant, closed as a wedding venue before reopening under new management as the W.Apart Hotel, sparking ongoing debate and speculation in the Saddleworth area.

For residents in Denshaw and across Saddleworth, the decision reflects a firm stance by Oldham Council on protecting Green Belt land from inappropriate commercial development. Local concerns about the visual and spatial impact on the surrounding countryside appear to have been upheld by the planning authority.

The applicant, Saddleworth Holdings Ltd, has not publicly commented on the refusal, but the history of planning activity at the site suggests further developments may be considered in the future. For now, the Clough Manor car park remains as it was, with no convenience store or coffee shop on the horizon.