A commercial space in Oldham town centre which has been the home of a restaurant and furniture shop will be separated into four different units after plans were approved.

The unit on Yorkshire Street was previously occupied by Istanbul Restaurant and has been vacant for some time, though was the home of by Sofa Boys last year.

The empty building was made available for rent at the end of last year, but now a proposal to divide the space into four units has been given the green light.

According to proposed plans for the ground floor, the four separate spaces will be made up of a retail unit, a butcher's shop, a mini market and a restaurant.

The site previously served as Istanbul RestaurantThe site previously served as Istanbul Restaurant (Image: Google Maps)

The plans show that the butcher shop, mini market and restaurant will all share the same staff facilities, while the retail unit will have its own staff room.

The building sits at the junction between Yorkshire Street and St Mary's Way and sits just south of the Bradshaw Street Car Park and, according to Rightmove, the space has been refurbished.

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Each unit will have a separate entrance to the front from Yorkshire Street, which is said to be the only alterations to be made to the front of the building, according to an application report from an Oldham Council planning officer.

In March 2022, a fire broke out at the property, where four people had to be rescued by fire services.

The space was most recently used as a furniture storeThe space was most recently used as a furniture store (Image: Google Maps)

The first floor space of the building is expected to remain vacant, while the planning officer said a condition relating to the control of odour and fumes was part of the recommendation to approve the proposal.

The proposal was formally approved on Tuesday (June 25).