When we kick-started the first community conversation on the future of the Longfield Centre, so many people told us something they love about Prestwich is its abundance of green spaces.
Whether spending a lazy summer’s day in Heaton Park or taking a Sunday stroll around the Clough and Prestwich Forest Park, the presence and easy access to these beautiful, natural surroundings are a key reason why people consider Prestwich such a lovely place to live and spend time.
But, to date, that abundance of green hasn’t been present in the village centre – something we want to address with the regeneration plans.
Our plans aim to draw inspiration from the surrounding landscapes to bring greenery into the very heart of the village … attracting nature and wildlife, as well as delivering a place that really promotes health and wellbeing.
We’re planning for new shops, cafes and flexible public spaces to be integrated with trees, and thoughtfully curated green pockets at every opportunity, alongside other features such as green roofs on various buildings.
Such an approach will not only boost biodiversity at the site currently dominated by concrete, it’ll provide shaded cool spots to sit on hot summer days and sustainable drainage for those inevitable showers.
Drawing in the nature that Prestwich so proudly boasts was a founding principle of our design. But we also want to encourage easy and convenient links out from the village centre to those surrounding beauty spots – whether for visitors or those that call the village home.
In our updated masterplan we’ve created a clear link between the Metrolink station and Bury New Road, a direct response to feedback we received during our first community conversation.
That, alongside prioritising sustainable transport and creating secure routes for cyclists and pedestrians, means that the site will serve as the perfect middle ground between Phillips Park and Heaton Park, linking arms with the key green spaces that already encircle the village centre.
Our team are now looking at all the feedback from our recent masterplan consultation, incorporating what they can as they work up a planning application to submit to Bury Council for consideration.
We believe our twin-pronged approach of delivering high-quality landscaped areas within the re-development, as well as creating more sustainable movement links out to Prestwich’s green spaces will ensure the Village Centre becomes the missing piece in the village’s green tapestry.