In this section we collated feedback from you and other Prestwich residents and shared it with yourprestwich.com.
As the feedback period has now closed, we have stopped accepting comments on this for now.
22 thoughts on “Miscellaneous”
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Buildings need to reflect the local Victorian heritage whilst being built using modern materials and techniques.
In many regards the regeneration appears to consider opportunities to blur the red line between the development area and the wider village. However, the red line appears to have ignored key plots that offer the potential to turn a good regeneration project into a great project. For example, there are a host or poor quality buildings along bury new road, including the Farm Foods block (and associated car park) and Istanbul Grill that should be considered. Evidently, the Council has already acquired Istanbul Grill and so why isn’t this included?
Hi
what will be the area available in the community hub – for community to use. The longfield suite was a very large popular venue attracting visitors from across the north west and further afield.
is the replacement going to be similar in size and stature
It’d be interesting to have this statement verified by data rather than a general assumption that the Longfield Suite was popular.
It would be really useful to see a 3D model of the proposals to visualise height and proximity of buildings to each other.
For sense of Community, I would propose:
1) Maximise footfall
To encourage a community feel, the development should have an actual centre, with a single main pathway between tram stop and bus stop on Bury New Road. This would reflect what is currently the route through the precinct that gets the most footfall. Higher footfall is good for shops and good for community. If you remove the most popular route through the area and effectively split it in two (as the current plan does) then you would be splitting the footfall in two, which is not good for shops or community.
2) “Outdoor” cafe seating and a real centre
I have noticed with our current fountain that it does not produce a good public area because the centre is blocked by the curved wall. When stalls, Christmas tree, carol singing and brass band have utilised the area they are pushed to the edges of the area due to the bad design. Better would be to have a real centre, especially for the Christmas tree, which is currently stood out on a limb. Around the centre could be cafe(s) with outdoor seating and entrances to surrounding shops and community facilities surrounding and leading off from the centre.
3) Covered centre
Anyone who knows rainy Prestwich, knows the value the covered shops fronts in the Precinct. Around the centre, abouve cafe and other seating, should be a glass covering so that people can walk through the area – at least near the central bit – and be sheltered from rain. This again helps to promote people slowing down, considering the shops, the cafes and community events.
4) Sunlight
The centre of the development should be designed to feel fresh and naturally lit by the sun – something of an oasis that will encourage people to enjoy walking through. If some of the surrounding buildings are tall, then I would say- not to the degree that they block sunglight from the centre and pathway around it.
5) But the pigeons!
Whatever is decided, there needs to be consideration of how to deal with the pogeons that have plagued Prestwich, especially the precinct, for years. I noticed that some of the buildings on the plans had many potential pigeon purches as part of their design – clearly designed without realising what they would result in! If there were glass canopies then pigeions would certainly need to be dealt with.
To help in understanding the development would it be possible to identify the intended use or uses of the following unlabelled areas on the ‘draft masterplan plan’:
a. The building immediately to the east of the village square.
b. The three areas coloured olive with white boundaries on the south western boundary of the development.
c. Another olive coloured area with a white boundary on the south eastern boundary.
d. The building adjoining Rectory Lane opposite the Metrolink station.
e. As the Istanbul Grill is within the development area what is the plan for this? Bury Council reportedly paid £525,000 to buy it in 2019 as it was seen as being key to the redevelopment and they didn’t want to be ‘held to ransom’ by someone who was interested in the property, but the building including the extension remain unchanged on the draft masterplan!
Can we have an estimate of the number of extra residents it is envisaged that the development will bring, and how this will affect the provision of local services such as school places, GP patient lists, and local transport services.
Can we have an estimate of the number of extra residents it is envisaged that the development will bring, and how this will affect the provision of local services such as school places, GP patient lists, and local transport services.
If we aim for a transport hub then the three disjointed points of car park (North), tram stop (East) & bus stop (West) need to be joined together, if not physically then by covered & shielded walkways (our weather tends to come from the West so those east-west routes look great but would become wind funnels). If we are to encourage people to park & ride then thought should be given to how people switch between bus or car and jump on a tram when it’s raining e.g. nobody wants to get off one mode of transport & get soaked before they go and jump in another. Add to this the Community hub/NHS point, all four points need to be joined up if not physically then the best we can. Along side covered/shielded walkways Is this an opportunity for “Google cars” to show their practicality, can we get on a pilot scheme ?
Bury New Road is one of the most congested roads in the UK, and in 2019 was measured as having with nitrous oxide levels which exceeded the World Health Organisation safe level by almost four times. As petrol and diesel powered vehicles will remain on the roads for some time, and with the Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone currently suspended, will any assessment not only consider the impact of the development on traffic levels and pollution, but also the possible health risks to those who will be living and working close to Bury New Road, for example the community hub which may include a health centre is now positioned closer to Bury New Road than the Longfield Suite and Fairfax Road surgeries.
Also, what measures are included in the plan to mitigate and reduce pollution from traffic on Bury New Road for those using, living, and working in the development area?
Correction – the nitrous oxide monitoring was 2018
Bury New Road is one of the most congested roads in the UK, and in 2019 was measured as having with nitrous oxide levels which exceeded the World Health Organisation safe level by almost four times. As petrol and diesel powered vehicles will remain on the roads for some time, and with the Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone currently suspended, will any assessment not only consider the impact of the development on traffic levels and pollution, but also the possible health risks to those who will be living and working close to Bury New Road, for example the community hub which may include a health centre is now positioned closer to Bury New Road than the Longfield Suite and Fairfax Road surgeries.
Also, what measures are included in the plan to mitigate and reduce pollution from traffic on Bury New Road for those using, living, and working in the development area?
There is scope to improve the regen area and expand it, considering for example purchase of the creative living centre and incorporation into the hub, the job centre, demolishing the turkish resturant, purchasing barclays bank, purchasing the units where farmfoods is located, using the access through the allotments to releive parking on Fairfax Road.
I absolutely love the feel and look of the festoon lighting outside some of the bars in Prestwich on Bury New Road.
I feel that to truly embody the revamp of the area and designate that central quarter as a revitalised village, installing festoon lighting along both sides of the pavement from top to bottom would look beautifully classical but also contemporary, a nod to the regeneration.
ADAPTABILITY
– Long-term engagement with the community.
– Consideration of use over time and expected / intended lifespan of the space to consider future needs and how these could be more easily or readily met
– Adaptability in design and materials to account for changes in key community metrics (demographics, mobility, climate change, economic prosperity)
Utilise meanwhile space as opportunity to test new initiatives and co-creation with the community.
(Overarching theme from environmental sub-group)
COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP & ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL
– All key features should be accessible to be enjoyed by all, this may require additional measures to support groups with differing needs.
– Explore options for community buy-in and asset ownership.
– Shared energy solutions (e.g. heat recovery between businesses).
– Shared locally powered generators/batteries.
– Co-creation of a meanwhile space and community hub with local organisations & individuals.
– Flexible use spaces for community groups within community hub.
Spaces for start-ups.
– Genuinely affordable housing & social housing, with value kept within the community.
(Overarching theme from environmental sub-group)
We have already acquired several hundred new residents with the housing built adjacent to the post office and a housing estate behind Tesco. How many more residents is the village proposal going to make? There has been absolutely no input to facilities for all these extra people. Getting a GP appointment is already very difficult, nhs dentists to are very sparse and massively over subscribed. Schools, nurseries, medical facilities all need to be looked at and opportunities increased for all.
Affordable resident owned housing. There’s no point in building property if first time buyers/young people can’t afford them or they are just part of a loveless portfolio by absent landlords
Schools, gp, dentist and other social facilities. Again, no point in living here if the schools are overcrowded and there’s no dentists
Safe open green spaces. Encourage cycling, walking and park life. Monitor crime and criminal activity.
Heard there was a mistake made and Istanbul has the right to stay there for many more years…even though they don’t own the building. A huge mistake.
Is Istanbul staying? Council bought the building, £500k I think but non of them decided to check how long the restaurant had left on the lease, maybe one of our councillors could enlighten us,
The current plans talk about ‘sense of arrival’ from the tram stop, but it looks like people will be just met with housing and no real view of the village. It would be better if the housing could be moved to where they currently have planned for the multi-storey car park to go, and the village centre to be more visible and obvious when you get off the tram. It would also be great if they could accommodate a play park here as the village is used by lots of families and it would encourage people to spend more time in shops and cafes if there was something to entertain the children as well.
I also liked the suggestion of knocking down the Istanbul restaurant and moving the bus stop so that the new development is more visible from Bury New Rd. It would be great to have a clear pathway from the tram stop to Bury New Rd.