Bury New Road now and as it Par t 4 could be (opposite page) MASTERPLAN The options process looked mainly at the development options for the centre of Prestwich. The strategy however is much wider than this and draws upon the vision outlined in Part 2 of this report which sees Prestwich as an urban village that is a hub for the local community and a gateway to the surrounding greenspace. The following section develops the masterplan to realise this vision. It starts with proposals for the high street before developing a strategy to maximise the impact of green space, reviving the retail offer, providing community uses and diversifying the offer of the village centre. 51 1 150m 52 Great Ducie Street, which runs into Bury New Road has already been treated in the manner that we propose. Bury New Road The first priority is to sort out the high street as explored through the options appraisal. This is based on the concept of reducing the carriageway width to a single traffic lane in each direction, allowing pavements to be widened, street trees to Projects be planted and short stay parking to be maintained. 1. BURY NEW ROAD: The single project Currently 29,000 vehicles a day use through Levenshulme. On these streets that 29-30,000 vehicles a day is at the under this theme is the transformation of Bury New Road through Prestwich. a design approach has been used upper limit of what is possible with Bury New Road. This will involve highway improvements to reduce the carriageway This represents a reduction of around that reduces the impact of traffic while this solution but we believe it could be widths in order to widen pavements, create 5,000 since the completion of the M60 maintaining significant capacity. This has achieved through careful design. The parking bays and allow tree planting. The cost but remains a significant problem for of this work will be in the order to £1.8 Million. led to a revival in the fortunes of these experience in Manchester has been that It will need to be progressed by Bury Council. the centre. In parts of Prestwich the centres and is a prerequisite if we are to an initial increase in congestion tends pavements are so narrow and cluttered secure the regeneration of Prestwich. to be followed by an overall reduction that two push chairs cannot pass. This is in the volume of traffic. An important because the road has been widened to Our recommendation is that a single lane opportunity is the new junction proposed allow two lanes of traffic to run in each of traffic is created in each direction and as part of the Longfield Centre scheme. direction in peak periods. The street to remove obstructions from this as far This will take pressure off Fairfax Road reverts to a single lane in each direction as possible so that it flows smoothly. This which is currently responsible for much of outside peak hours allowing the other allows the second lane to be reallocated the Northbound congestion. lane to be used for car parking. The to permanent parking bays, wider problem is that in the rush hour there pavements and street trees. The plan to So important is this to the revival of are often vehicles parked or loading so the left shows this applied to Bury New Prestwich that we believe that there is no that the traffic has to filter into one lane Road. choice but to go ahead. Lesser schemes adding to congestion. have been tried in the past and they have It is possible that this will impact on not worked. In any case the congestion In developing a strategy for the street the capacity of Bury New Road. The through Prestwich (in terms of travel we have studied high streets elsewhere only one of the high streets mentioned times through the centre) cannot get in Manchester such as Wilmslow Road above that carries the same amount of much worse. The benefit of the scheme through Rusholme, Cheetham Hill Road, traffic as Bury New Road is Stockport is that the impact of this traffic on the Great Ducie Street and Stockport Road Road in Levenshulme. This suggests shops will be reduced. 53 3 2,000m 2 4 54 The regional park will include the existing Irwell Valley sculpture trail as well as opportunities for active recreation. Urban Playground The plan to the left shows the extent both of the existing Heaton Park and the proposed Croal Irwell Regional Park. The former is the largest municipal park in Europe and the latter will be bigger still. Prestwich has a unique opportunity to exploit its location between these urban greenspaces. Projects 2. CROAL IRWELL REGIONAL PARK: Prestwich’s location between Heaton The development of the UK’s largest urban The vision for the Valley Park is as: Tesco have poor access to the valley park together with a visitor centre including Park and the proposed Croal Irwell ‘An Urban Playground for the City floor, while sites in the heart of the park cafe, bike hire facilities and highwire forest Regional Park is the equivalent of being Region which will become the foremost can not be easily accessed by car. A adventure course. This will be progressed located between Hampstead Heath through the Croal Irwell Regional Park active urban recreation location in the facility of this scale would put further partnership. and Wimbledon Common. Heaton Park North West of national significance’. pressure on Bury New Road. is a well established park and forms 3. GATeway TO THE VALLEY: The an important open space resource to improvement of Church Lane, Kingswood To this end work was been commis- There is however scope to create a Road, Valley Park Road and Glenmere the east. The Croal Irwell Valley Park is sioned from Locum Consulting to series of smaller facilities such as Close as gateways to the valley, including potentially a far larger resource and was signposting, gateways, parking where explore the potential for major leisure a rangers station, bike hire facility possible. originally conceived by the authorities facilities in the valley. The area to the and cafe. The council is also keen to of Salford, Bury and Bolton in the 1970s west of Prestwich was the main focus explore the possibility of developing a 4. BRANDING: The branding of the Metrolink and is now recognised in the Regional stop as the gateway to the Valley Park with for this work because of the potential high wire forest adventure course. An an interpretation board at the station showing Spatial and Economic Strategies. to create a huge contiguous area of operator is interested who has created the valley park and the access points. parkland next to a motorway junction. similar facilities elsewhere including A partnership of the three local Facilities have been explored such rope bridges, swings and zip slides up authorities together with the Red as an equestrian centre or a regional to 40 feet up in the trees. Rose Forest, Forestry Commission, outdoor leisure facility of a similar scale Countryside Commission and to the Chill Factor in Trafford. However Environmental Agency are working having looked in more detail at the on the valley park and environmental practicality of this we do not believe improvements, planting and access that it is viable. Sites with good road schemes are ongoing. access, such as the land to the rear of 55 Key Retail space Existing retail space Business improvements 9 5 7 6 200m 10 56 A new shopping development by Modus in Boston (Lincolnshire) shows how modern retailing and parking can be incorporated into an attractive street based scheme. Market & Meetingplace A central function of Prestwich will be as a place where Projects the local community shop, meet and socialise. There 5. THE LONGFIELD CENTRE: See next page is a need to regenerate the retail, leisure and evening 6. RELOCATION PACKAGE: The independent businesses still trading in the Longfield Centre economy offer by attracting new customers and retaining should be given the opportunity to continue trading in Prestwich. This should include relocation either into the vacant premises in a balance between large and independent businesses. the Radius scheme or onto Bury New Road. Relocation packages should include rent subsidies to make space affordable for the On the one hand the population of development outside the centre would not The evening economy: The strategy duration of the redevelopment. The cost is Prestwich is very attractive to retailers be consistent with planning policy while for retail encompasses shops and the estimated at £120,000 which should be a cost which is why Marks and Spencer are there is a prospect of the redevelopment of evening economy. The Council has borne by the Longfield redevelopment. there and why there interest from the the Longfield Centre proceeding. However recently undertaken some work with 7. BURY NEW ROAD BUSINESS retail developers. On the other hand if there were no such prospect, or indeed MAKE Associates designed to identify IMPROVEMENT SCHEME: A grant package the independent retailers in the centre once it is complete, then sequentially the potential for growth in the evening should be established for businesses on Bury New Road. This should cover 50% of the cost have struggled because of the poor it would be possible to consider retail economy in Prestwich centre. MAKE of improvements to the premises and should environment on Bury New Road and developments on the edge of the town endorse much of this strategy and be targeted at high quality independent retailers and cafe/bar uses.