Prestwich: Car park to close for a month amid travel hub plans

From June 17, the Fairfax Road car park in the heart of Prestwich will be shut for four weeks, meaning the loss of 168 parking spaces until the middle of July.

The neighbouring Longfield Centre car park, which has a similar number of spaces, will remain open for the duration of the works. 

Prestwich Regeneration LLP, the joint venture between Muse and the council said work at the site is the essential next step in the delivery of the £100m vision for Prestwich.

The project will involve teams working Monday to Friday to drill holes in the ground, take samples and fill them back in.

The developer said that such ground investigations would speed up delivery of the proposed new travel hub, should planning permission be granted this summer.

Updates have been made to submitted plans recently, with the number of parking spaces in the proposed travel hub at the Fairfax Road site increased from 275 to 301. The hub is also planned to feature electric vehicle charging points, cycle storage and parcel lockers.

It is all part of the plans to overhaul the Longfield Centre site, with shops, community facilities, public green spaces.

A computer generated image of how the Prestwich redevelopment is set to look

A later phase of the scheme has earmarked the current Longfield Centre car park for housing blocks containing around 200 homes.

Stuart Rogers, director of project management at Muse, said: “The work will help us understand the quality of the ground, essential before any development can start on site.

“Doing so now will help us hit the ground running with the delivery of the travel hub once we have a positive planning decision.

“We’re excited to now be making tangible progress on the regeneration Prestwich Village, following years of consultation, detailed design and preparation.

“We understand there may be some short term inconvenience with the closure of the car park.

“This a necessary step to help the specialist team access the site. They’ll work swiftly and considerately throughout to minimise any disruption to those living and working nearby.”

The joint venture was formed in 2022 to to create a "new beating heart" for Prestwich at the Longfield Centre site. Plans also include a community hub including a library and flexible community space that can be used for events, clubs and arts and culture.

The building will also offer an opportunity to deliver a new Prestwich Health Centre, with discussions ongoing with the NHS and local GP practices.

There will be a new village square with space for pop-up events like markets, food festivals, art exhibitions and live performances and a market hall and food hall with communal seating spilling out onto the square.

The plans also promise "flexible retail and leisure spaces across the site, which will complement the high street and help to cater for Prestwich’s diverse business community". This includes a new gym.