Green light for Muse and Bury’s £100m Prestwich regen
Work is expected to start on the travel hub aspect later this year after hybrid plans to revamp the Longfield Centre received approval from the authority’s planning committee.
Prestwich Regeneration LLP, a joint venture between placemaker Muse and Bury Council, will deliver retail and public spaces, community facilities, and homes off Bury New Road.
The regeneration plans have been shaped with input from the community during the consultation, with changes including live event spaces, a market hall, and more community and green spaces.
Further changes were made in April with the inclusion of more parking spaces in the travel hub, up from 275 to 300, as well as EV charging points and cycle storage, with work on this expected to start on site later this year.
The plans approved by Bury Council’s planning committee this week include:
- A 30,000 sq ft community hub featuring a library and flexible community space that can be used for events, clubs, and art and culture. Discussions about developing a Prestwich Health Centre here are ongoing with the NHS and local GP practices.
- A village square with family-friendly spaces designed to provide space for pop-up events like markets, food festivals, art exhibitions, and live performances.
- A 6,500 sq ft market hall with smaller spaces for local retailers, including a food hall and communal seating that spills out onto the village square.
- Flexible retail and leisure spaces across the site to complement the high street including a gym.
- Landscaped outdoor and green spaces.
- Removal of the existing fountain with public art installations to be incorporated throughout the development.
- Landscaping connecting with public spaces in the village.
- Relocation of car parking in the centre of the site to a travel hub off Fairfax Road, which will contain electric vehicle charging points, cycle storage, and parcel lockers.
- Around 200 homes, as part of the outline application, include a mix of affordable properties for first-time buyers, growing families, and downsizers. The design, materials, and style for this element of the scheme will be detailed in a future planning application.
The team for the project features Asteer Planning, Jon Matthews Architects, Hannan Associates, Planit, and Civic Engineers.
Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, leader of Bury Council, said: “These are truly transformative plans which will reshape Prestwich village – from new housing to shops, leisure facilities and a better living environment.
“Regeneration of our town centres is a crucial part of ensuring that the whole of our borough can prosper and thrive for many generations to come, and we’re looking forward to working with our partners to bring the new Prestwich to life.”
Joe Stockton, senior development manager at Muse, added: “This is a huge moment for Prestwich. The overhaul of the Longfield Centre will create a new beating heart for the village packed with community facilities, spaces for local businesses to thrive, and much-needed new homes.
“Thanks to all the people who took part in the conversation over the last couple of years, we were blown away by the passion local people have for the area.
“Working together we’ve created a new village centre that everyone can be proud of and that will cement Prestwich as one of the best places to live for decades to come.”
To view the plans, search for application reference number 70449 on Bury Council’s planning portal.
What will happen to the existing flats?
By Tony Heyes
@ Tony Heyes
They will be teleported to space incl. its residents
By Anonymous
How is Manchester doing all this?
There was another article on Oldham town centre earlier and I read on the BBC News today that Wythenshawe is undergoing the biggest regeneration scheme in the UK.
Why is it so successful compared to other places which are literally dying?
By Anonymous
Unless there is going to be a separate entrance and exit to the proposed multi storey car park there will be chaos on Fairfax Road!
By Graham H
Post COVID people only want to be in big cities. So cities and the areas surrounding them are booming. A lot of those smaller market towns are struggling because essentially they should never have grown to become the size they are in the first place. Thinking of those types of places which are effectively a huge suburb with nothing else. Why would anyone want to live there anymore? Cut off from the rest of the world and civilisation. Cities are where it’s at!
By Anonymous
Building a multi storey car park of 300 spaces that’s not enough for Prestwich now nevermind building 200 houses there’s 200 car right away?
By Anonymous
I must complain about access to the proposed multi storey car park there will be chaos on Fairfax Road , the access and building of this car park should be with direct access from Bury
New Rd . Poppythorn lane , Heys Rd. Rectory Lane ,Highfield Rd, Longfield centre, tower block apartments and tram car park all use Fairfax Rd for access at the moment and to add another multi -story car park will only cause more problems for Prestwich , I propose this car park built on existing car park demolish farm foods , opticians etc and re locate on new shopping centre and this would open car park access to a Bury New road timed and scheduled with existing Traffic lights system.taking the pressure of the already congested Fairfax Rd. , also the building of accommodation on the proposed car park away from actual centre ,
Has Bury council actually listened Prestwich residents , No
By Clark Davidson
@ Anonymous, re: parking
300 car parks is pretty good, since this is only 38 less than currently exists. There will be fewer people parking all day for free who currently use it for Metrolink commutes. There is also other parking nearby, with 850 spaces between Tesco, M&S and other small car parks. Not to forget that of the new apartments, most people are unlikely to drive, with many choosing to live there because of it’s proximity right next door to Metrolink – but each building will still have a small number of car parks for residents that do drive – and before you say that most will drive, maybe that’s something you do, buy a house with no parking literally right next door to a rapid transit station, but then that’s your problem. If you want storage for your huge, empty steel box when not using it, go find a house which has off-road parking then. Don’t move into one which doesn’t and expect to get one for free somewhere else.
By EOD
I have lived in the Prestwich area all my life (73 years). My only comment at this stage is ……The sooner, the better!’ Thank you.
By Anonymous
This the moment we’ve all been waiting for, when the vibrancy of Manchester City Centre and rising land values finally ripples out to surrounding towns, and suddenly the decades long investment in Metrolink allows us to build car-lite transit orientated places.
By Rich X
I prefer North Bury to South Bury, Ramsbottom for example is lovely
By Anonymous