Oldham shipping container takeaway approved for 12 months

A shipping container takeaway in Oldham town centre has been given the green light-but only for 12 months. The planning committee approved the unusual temporary permission after hearing concerns about parking and traffic.

The takeaway would be built at the corner of Silver Street and Peter Street, where the council's Highway Engineer warned it would likely cause illegal parking and traffic problems. Despite these objections, councillors decided to give it a trial run.

Councillor Dave Murphy suggested the temporary approach so they could monitor the actual impact before making a permanent decision. His idea won a split vote, with the committee chair having to cast the deciding ballot.

The Highway Engineer told the meeting that experience shows people visiting takeaways always try to park as close as possible, and delivery drivers could cause further disruption. But the planning officers argued that illegal parking is hard to enforce anyway, and there are other parking options nearby.