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.
Distinctive Prestwich Style
- We would like the design of buildings to match the existing look and feel or historic Prestwich (i.e. the housing seen on Poppythorn Lane or Gardener Road) to create a distinctive feel for the area (this was shown as an idea during the ‘YourPrestwich’ Q&A session
Height of Buildings
- The new buildings should not be higher than the existing Longfield Suite and certainly nowhere near the height of the Radius
I totally disagree with the comments here. Prestwich has many examples of buildings on residential streets of 3 and 4 storeys and examples in the village centre of buildings of that height or greater.
There has been lots of reference on the forum to rural village development that people like. Reference is made to Poundbury in Dorset. The village centre at Poundbury includes substantial buildings of generally 4 and 5 storeys, but extending as high as 7 (including clock towers and the like).
This is an urban village and well design development can readily reflect the character and scale of existing residential and other developments, whilst extendin to at least 3 and 4 storeys. Adjacent to the radius and within the heart of the new village, heights of 6 and 7 storeys would be appropriate.
Given the long list of community requirements for the village centre two and three storey development simply won’t pay for a village square (of any type), community facilities and high quality design and materials.
I hope the buildings will be similar to some of the lovely houses ready in Prestwich. The style in the pamphlet do not seem to have character.
Whilst the proposals have attempted to reflect historic street patterns I think that the proposals are too similar to a city centre or edge of city centre layout. I would want to see the built form more characteristic of a village centre, which will necessitate a more modest density and predominantly low to medium rise buildings. There needs to be a clearer gateway into the site from the Metrolink stop that leads through the public square and onto Bury New Road. Retail uses should be given a proper frontage to Bury New Road and the community hub building should be located closer to the metrolink stop and the car park (which should be on the Longfield site or adjacent health centre site). The existing Istanbul restaurant needs to be incorporated into the scheme. It is not a particularly attractive building and would be better redeveloped
Can we stop this nonsense in referring to Prestwich ’village’? It’s not helpful when the population is over 30,000. Prestwich sits on a main artery into Manchester, it’s not some sleepy backwater with a village pond and ducks. Stop romanticising it.
Also, I thought the forum was set up to provide feedback? Your statement at the top of this page “ We would like the design of buildings to match the existing look and feel or historic Prestwich” doesn’t necessarily align with that of others, it’s your own desire. If it’s the desire of the majority of residents then prove it.
The height of the development probably shouldn’t be as high as Radius but it certainly can’t be as low as the existing Longfield Centre – it’d be a pointless waste of money. Unfortunately, the style probably needs to align closer to that of Radius rather than Gardener Road. Any radical contrast would be a poor design choice.
I agree with your points (about this feeling like promoting a set of viewsrarpther than gathering views, and 5g3 need for design to fit with radius to some extent), but I like calling it a village, as it has an identity and sense of belonging that are reflected in this term.
The photos of the Muse townhouses in the ‘Your Prestwich’ brochure are reminiscent of the US housing projects of the 1960s.
Hopefully the architects will produce something more aesthetically pleasing for this development.
The proposals with the building examples do not align with the ‘village concept’. there is a saturation of apartments in Prestwich Village, with the Radius, Rectory Green, and the Tram station planning permission granted for more apartments, plus the proposed apartments in the new development are likely to be nearly 600 apartments ++ all centered in a ‘ Village’ !!! There are approx 8.8K people living in St Marys Ward which encompasses the actual Village – so give a thought to those living within the Village ward! The flat roofs are not acceptable – Rectory green is currently having pitched roofs constructed as flat roofs offer poor insulation and are prone to leaking. The bricks for the buildings should be of Victorian heritage design and not grey or pale industrial looking and definitely no wood or rendering that are scruffy and require maintenance. The Village is surrounded by conservation areas. eg. Poppythorne Lane, Rectory lane, and Church lane and should be acknowledged, esp. the benefits of classic architecture, that doesn’t date and isn’t merely a design fad that becomes a dreadfully dated blot on the village in decades to come. Prestwich is not suited to an off-the-shelf Muse development design with a few tweaks! Muse uses the same ‘box housing’ design in almost every single project they undertake- just check their portfolios. Putting a bay window on a flat-roofed box doesn’t make it sympathetic to a heritage design. The Vimto project is not right for Prestwich.
It’s not going to be enough to show us a picture of a lovely redbrick house on Poppythorn Lane then say you’ve used that to put a bay window on a block of flats. Housing should be redbrick and show features to match much of Prestwich’s heritage of building. This has already been done in some areas of Prestwich- eg new housing off Rectory Lane where window shape matches those of old housing opposite.
As a resident of the Radius building, my concern is the height of the buildings, particularly those close to Radius. The early-stage proposals are encouraging but I think that anything over 4-5 storeys would be too high and would have a negative impact on those of us already living in the heart of Prestwich. I wonder if the design team have had the opportunity to view the site from any Radius and /or Rectory Green apartments, rather than mainly thinking from the ground up? It is a wonderfully light place to live with a panoramic view and I am really concerned how that will be affected by buildings that are too high and close.
If they haven’t, they would be welcome to look at the site from the perspective of where I live.
I think the built form on Bury New Road should fit well with the existing design and heights as a village centre . The heights of the buildings can increase to the rear of the site towards the metrolink and 4-5 storey would be acceptable here and could be more modern but complementing the entire development. The community hub is better placed at the rear of the site next to car park for maximum use and arrival from the metro seeing the community hub and services would draw people into the centre via a boulevard/walkways with clear line of sight leading into that centre. The turkish restaurant needs to be demolished to provide visual into the centre from bury new road and the barclays bank purchased for a market/food hall with seating to the rear spilling into the centre. Some residential could be provided above shops and along rectory green facing the school and on the car park next to the church. The layout needs redesigning.
I think you’ve made some good points here about drawing people into the centre. This is where the current long field centre fails, as it feels cut off from the tram, bury new road by the tunnels.
My views on the current public realm: the concrete in the existing square outside the library is ugly and the high part of the curved wall blocks the sightline across the open area. If the wall was lower and the ground was flat, parents would be able to see their small children at all times, and cafes and restaurants would be able to use part of it for tables. Having a fountain is a nice idea and provides a focal point. More greenery would soften the concrete’s utilitarian appearance. The new square should be as large or larger than the one we currently have.