Businesses at Prestwich precinct have been given a deadline to move out for a £100m regeneration project.
Businesses at Prestwich precinct have been given a deadline to move out.(Image: ABNM Photography)
Shop owners at the Longfield Centre in Prestwich have been told to leave their premises by April, as the council gears up to bulldoze the precinct for a £100m pound regeneration project. The remaining eight businesses, which includes community hub You & Me Cafe, will need to move out for April 7, the LDRS can confirm.
The shopping strip is due to be replaced with a new market and food hall, green spaces, and a ‘modern new home for the Prestwich library’ by ‘city developers’ Muse. Only eight businesses currently remain, with many others having vacated the centre due to the ‘deteriorating state’ of the building.
£1m has been set aside for the demolition by Bury Council, with a further £2.25m earmarked to support preparatory works for a full planning application, due to be submitted by March this year.
Sahar Lodge (left), interim manager at Bury Hospice, and Julie Callaghan (right), a volunteer who has been with the shop for four years.(Image: LDRS)
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” said Sahar Lodge, 32, manager at the Bury Hospice charity shop branch. “We thought we’d be moving out this summer – but it’s come a lot earlier than we expected. It’s a bit of a shock because we still have a lot of stock we need to move in three months.
“We haven’t found a new premises yet. It feels quite sad for the community. There are around 20 volunteers who work here, some of them for more than 15 years. And there’s a lot of regular customers who come here to get out of the house and speak to people.”
Another business owner, who asked not to be named said they were ‘very upset’.
Shuttered shops in Prestwich precinct. (Image: LDRS)
“I don’t have the money to move somewhere new so I can’t even think about what’s going to happen next,” they said. “I just don’t even want to talk about it because there’s nothing we can do about it now. I have customers asking me where I’m going to go – I have no answer.”
Bury council said they are providing support and ‘working closely’ with affected businesses.
Other shops have started bidding farewell to their customers online. A manager from Woodpeckers Pet Store addressed a community group: “Alas, the time has finally come! I received my notice to leave the premises. Bury Council want me out at the latest, early April.
The regeneration project is supposed to turn the area into a ‘vibrant’ new space.(Image: LDRS)
“I do believe that all remaining businesses on the precinct have received theirs too! I am still on the lookout for a new premises.”
And Prestwich Library is due to temporarily move to the Phoenix Centre until their new permanent home is completed.
The Longfield Centre demolition and redesign is phase two of the multi-million pound regeneration project. Phase one is already underway at Fairfax Road, where a new travel hub is under construction.
A spokesperson said: “Bury Council is working with its Joint Venture Partner, Muse, to replace the Longfield Centre which has now reached the end of its life. This £100 million, phased regeneration project will transform Prestwich into a vibrant, sustainable village centre.
“To make way for the next phase of the redevelopment, Bury Council has formally given notice to the eight remaining tenants trading within the Longfield Centre Shopping Centre. The final trading day in the centre will be 7 April 2026.
CGI vision of the new development.(Image: LDRS)
“Securing funds from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for delivery of the wider regeneration project is dependent on a range of factors, including a meaningful start of demolition works. Vacant possession of the centre by early April will allow demolition to go ahead to planned timescales.
“We are providing support and remain committed to working closely with all affected businesses and the wider community to ensure that Prestwich emerges stronger, more sustainable, and better equipped for the future.
“Please continue to bear with us while the regeneration and associated works are taking place. We appreciate works of this scale do cause disruption, but this multi-million-pound investment will ultimately deliver significant benefits for local people.”