Muse submits updated plans for £100m Prestwich regeneration
Having secured more than £40m from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to make the vision for redevelopment of the Longfield Centre a reality, the developer has tabled revised plans for more homes, a larger library, and a more generous public square.
Working in a JV with Bury Council, Muse wants to increase the number of build-to-rent apartments proposed from 200 to 248 – with 25% designated as affordable – enlarge the planned village square by 5,000 sq ft, and increase the size of the library from 5,000 sq ft to more than 11,000 sq ft.
The planned market hall at the heart of the scheme will have space for 13 independent traders, Muse has confirmed.
A gym, retail space, and a flexible community facility remain part of the proposals. Plans for a health centre to replace the existing Fairfax Medical Centre are also in the works.
The project has received £40m of backing via the GMCA’s Good Growth Fund – just shy of £7m for the community facilities, and £35m for the apartments – in recent months.
Meanwhile, work on the first phase of the scheme, a £14m multi-storey car park north of Farifax Road, is due to complete this summer.
The 300-space car park will unlock the surface car parks to the rear of the Longfield Centre for redevelopment in later phases of the scheme.
The Longfield Centre itself will be demolished later this year. Most tenants have already vacated, with some – including Village Greens and Keg, Cask and Bottle – finding new homes elsewhere in the village, while the others have been served notices to vacate.
Hugh Taylor, senior project manager at Muse, said: “The submission of this planning application is a major milestone for Prestwich. We know how important community space is and this next phase is about delivering just that.
“We’ve updated the masterplan to feature more places for people to get together both in the new larger library and expanded village square. With the travel hub due to open this summer, there is real momentum behind this project, and we look forward to working with Bury Council to bring these plans to life.”
Has anyone admitted how much it will cost to park in the new ‘Travel Hub’?
By Anonymous
Great plans and welcome development, but please don’t sever the artery roads and cut the village in half this time like you have done with the multi story car park works.
By Villager
Well the cost was free before they spent £14 million on an oversized carpark.
So any guess beyond 100% will probably be correct.
By Anonymous
Muse wanting to put more flats there. This is entirely unexpected.
Please could PNW make clear when the Good Growth Fund money is cheap loan, grant or some combination?
By Anonymous
248 apartments with no parking provision. Prestwich has now lost it’s free carpark. How has this been allowed to pass? How much will it cost to park at the travel hub? It’s a terrible development that will forever change Prestwich
By Prestwich resident
Please, please ensure Prestwich people are considered when disruption is planned. The current works do no favours for business.
By John Auty
And how far are Muse splitting themselves on all these major projects? Bury, Wythenshawe, Stockport, worrying that they’ll spread too thin and not achieve any of them
By Anonymous
£35m grant for 248 apartments? Muse must be delighted!
By Anonymous
For those concerned about parking for these apartments. Are you aware of the tram station within 5 minutes walk? Surely we don’t need another 500+ cars adding to the roads…
By Anonymous
People moaning about losing “free” parking. There’s no such thing as free parking – it’s subsidised by hard-working tax payers who pay for the roads that motorists expect to drive all over. Maybe stop being so entitled expecting to be able to dump your private property on public land. The land is much better being put to good economic use or providing housing for real people instead of being wasted on parking.
By Anonymous
All Public consultation was a paper exercise. They changed the original plan, which was a mixture of houses and flats, and made it all rental flats for a hedge fund to profit from. This is not a resistance to change, but rather a call for the change to be more inkeeping with the area. I don’t believe our elected officials have represented the voters on this one
By Jamie Wright
It is funny when you consider that NCP have gone bust because they cannot make a profit, out of selling car park spaces and Bury Council blow £14 million on a brand new car park.
They could have spent the £14m on buying some second hand car parks from NCP.
I expect the Metrolink user’s who work in town will just divert to Radcliffe, to use the free parking there. All the local user’s will either stop going there or park all the way up Nursery Road?
Give it a year or longer if the Council have tied themselves, with a long contract with the car park operators and the cark park will be free again for users and the graffiti artists will have covered it.
By Anonymous