Greggs Could Be Coming To Littleborough
A planning application has been submitted that could see a new Greggs bakery open at the Littleborough Service Station on Church Street, with the proposal aiming to repurpose existing buildings rather than construct new ones.
Motor Fuel Group (MFG), which operates the petrol station on the A58, is seeking permission to reconfigure the site by converting the existing sales kiosk into a Greggs bakery while moving the petrol station's retail operation into the former car wash building.
The application relates to the service station at Church Street and includes new shopfronts, changes to the site layout and the creation of five parking spaces, including one accessible bay.
According to planning documents, the proposed Greggs unit would occupy approximately 70 square metres and offer a range of products including sandwiches, pastries, cakes, soups, salads, hot wraps and hot and cold drinks. The development is expected to create four full-time and four part-time jobs, with recruitment intended to be local.
The applicant says the proposal would modernise the existing site while making better use of buildings already on the forecourt.
Planning consultants acting on behalf of MFG state: "The proposal seeks to make more efficient use of the existing buildings at the site, whilst retaining the established petrol filling station use."
The service station has operated since planning permission was granted in 1988 and has been open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, since approval was granted in 2018 for round-the-clock opening.
The proposal follows the withdrawal of an earlier application in June 2026 which would have involved demolishing the car wash building and constructing a new bakery pod. The revised scheme instead reuses the site's existing buildings to achieve the same end result.
Planning documents also state that the scheme would include four customer parking bays and one disabled parking space, alongside the relocation of existing site equipment including the gas cage and air and water station.
A transport assessment submitted with the application concludes the development would have a minimal impact on the surrounding highway network. Noise consultants have also assessed the proposal and concluded it should not provide grounds for refusal, subject to mitigation measures and proposed bakery opening hours of 6am to 11pm.
If approved, the development would bring the well-known bakery chain to a site located around 150 metres from the boundary of Littleborough centre. The planning statement argues that no suitable alternative sites have been identified that would meet the specific requirements of the proposal.
The application will now be considered by Rochdale Borough Council before a decision is made.
