Last week, it was described as a "big moment" for Prestwich.
A £100m re-development scheme that would see the town almost completely re-invented.
Technically one of "six towns" in the borough of Bury, the suburb is widely known as "Prestwich village" by residents and visitors alike.
In recent years, it has bucked the trend of high street decline, with restaurants, bars and independent shop openings.
In March, The Sunday Times ranked Prestwich as one of 2024’s "best areas to live" in the UK, taking into account its schools, transport, culture, access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
Now, following a partnership between the council’s and developers Muse, planning permission was agreed last week for a massive transformation, essentially a whole new "village centre".
The Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the centre on a sunny Thursday afternoon to seek the views of affected businesses, shoppers and Prestwich residents on the transformation plans.
For Emma Cavanagh, business and events manager of Macca’s Bar and Grill, Prestwich "is a great place for us to be".
Emma Cavanagh and Stephen Kenny from Macca's Bar and Grill
She said the bar and function centre, which employs 24 staff and opened in the Longfield Centre in March, 2023, "quickly became part of the community".
She said: “We’d love to stay and become part of the new development, it looks great.
“But the scale of the plans means us and other businesses are operating with uncertainty.
“The best estimate of when the work will start we’ve been given is June, 2025 and then our options would be to wait for the new centre to be built, relocate to a temporary unit, possibly on the current Longfield car park or find a new location.
“We knew about the possible redevelopment when we opened but it does make it difficult to plan ahead.”
The council said the £100m overhaul of the Longfield Centre will create "a new beating heart for the village".
New shops, public spaces, a library, health centre, a market hall and food court will fill the space vacated by the demolished shopping centre.
Paul Hardman, 63, lives in the Kings Road area of Prestwich and enjoys shopping and socialising in the town centre.
He said: “The plans sound really exciting and I’m all for positive change if it’s done right.
“Prestwich is a lovely place to live and the businesses here deserve success and a new, fresh environment.
“Hearing the extent of what they plan to do it’s quite a lot of work so I hope they pull it off.
“What really needs freshening up is the public space.
“The current square and water feature to me is ugly, so grey and tired looking. It won’t be hard to make that area look better.
“If the area can be massively improved and the businesses thrive then I’m supportive.”
Paul Hardman, 63
As part of the redevelopment, there will be community facilities and 200 new homes will be built at the current car park between the Longfield and the Metrolink station.
The first phase of the plan will see a 300-space multi-storey car park and travel hub built at the current Fairfax Road public car park which has caused frustration and opposition from neighbours.
Carole Hamilton, 60, has lived on Gardner Road since 1990.
Carole Hamilton has lived in Prestwich for 34 years
She said: “I’ve heard for years and years about regeneration and have always doubted whether anything would get done.
“Looking around though many of the buildings in the centre like the library are looking tired and need to be improved.
“If the result is a much better looking centre then I’m all for it.
“What is very important, I’d say essential, is that the existing businesses here are looked after before, during and after development.
“So many of these shops and businesses are family run and are key parts of the Prestwich community.
“They need to be looked after and cared for during all this change.”
The first phase of the redevelopment will be the construction of a three-storey, 300-vehicle capacity multi-storey car park built on the current Fairfax Road surface level car park.
Work is set to start in the autumn on the project and has proved deeply unpopular with many nearby residents on Highfield Road, who claim they will be overshadowed by the building and fear that the already congested Fairfax Road will become even busier.
Resident Isaac Jones, whose home will be very close to the new car park, spoke at the planning meeting last week in opposition to the plans.
Isaac Jones addressed Bury's planning committee to oppose the regeneration plans
He said: “How many other ‘villages’ have a multi-storey car park?
“It’s an unsympathetic development more suited to the city centre – the single largest land use is that of a multi story car park.
“The car park and wider development are not in keeping with the fabric of Prestwich.
“Muse themselves acknowledge there is ‘no proposed solution’ to current traffic issues.
“Loss of sunlight and overshadowing to houses in Highfield Road and Highfield Place is unacceptable and significantly detrimental to our homes and quality of life.
“This is already having a huge psychological effect on residents.
“The scheme is a huge missed opportunity for what this village could have been and will be judged as such in decades to come.”
Linda Wright, 62, from Highfield Road, echoed those views.
Linda Wright's garden borders the site of the soon to be built multi-storey car park
She said: “The current car park is surface level and at the moment we have a low level of disturbance.
“Having such a huge structure nearby will affect our sunlight and it can only increase noise, pollution and traffic outside our door.”
Following the decision, council leader Eamonn O’Brien, 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 at Muse, said: “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.
“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.”
The proposals underwent further changes in April this year, with the inclusion of more parking spaces in the travel hub, which contains up to 300 car parking spaces as well as EV charging points and cycle storage.
The travel hub will be built first with an anticipated to start on site later this year.
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