'If we've got to go down, we'll go down fighting': Locals fight against plans to demolish pub for KFC and Starbucks

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a petition against the plans, which have been submitted to Oldham Council. The proposals would see the pub flattened and the two drive-thrus built on the site.Middleton brewery JW Lees, which owns it, said it had sold the site because it had 'struggled to be a viable pub business for several years' - but locals say it's a vital community asset.Debbie Greaves, who works behind the bar, said the pub had become 'a big family' under current landlord Derek Lewis Middleton, who has run it for 15 years."There are people who come in and we're the only people they ever see," she said."People come in to play cribs and pool, there are two football teams that use the pub as their base.