‘It has created a ripple effect across Prestwich’
Road closure works in Prestwich are said to be causing a series of disruptions to residents and businesses in the area(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Businesses in one of the Greater Manchester’s trendiest suburbs say they construction work is having a ‘monumental’ impact on trade during a typically quiet period for the hospitality industry.
Fairfax Road, in Prestwich, has been partially closed since October 13 while a series of regeneration works are undertaken. And locals say they aren’t expecting normality to resume any time soon.
Between 7am on Monday to 5pm on Friday each week until July, the road between Heys Road and Rectory Lane will be blocked for vehicle access. The road is then reopened during the weekends.
But businesses on Fairfax Road, including the Croma pizzeria and Panama Hatty’s restaurant and bar, say customers have been left assuming they are closed whilst work is carried out.
“We’re all a bit ****ed off about the situation, to be honest,” Andrew Bullock, the founder of Croma, told the Manchester Evening News. “I feel like it’s all been very poorly organised. It’s already a difficult time for the industry, as everybody knows, but trade is massively down based on our year-on-year expectations. It puts us in a very tricky position.”
The works on Fairfax Road, between Heys Road and Rectory Lane, will take place until July(Image: Manchester Evening News)
The ‘temporary disruption’ is part of the Your Prestwich project to help build a new travel hub for the area which will consist of new parking spaces, including electric vehicle charging points and cycle storage. Forming part of the redevelopment of the Longfield Centre, which will include a new library, new homes, new retail units, community spaces, and more, the road closure is in place to enable the transport of large quantities of heavy steel and other materials to the site.
Both Andrew and Sean Roche, who is the general manager for Panama Hatty’s, say that ‘consultation has been minimal’ in terms of how much impact the works would actually have on their business.
During the weekdays, they have heard from customers who say the level of road works has led them to believe they were closed, whilst others have said they have avoided the area altogether due to difficulties in accessing the road.
“There’s containers everywhere,” Andrew explained. “They have closed off the nearest car park which had over 100 spaces and was free for people to use. It was very useful to customers. The main one near the tram stop has also got containers too, it gives the impression we’re closed.
“Customers regularly tell us they’re avoiding the area because of the diversions and traffic build‑up,” Sean at Panama Hatty’s added. “Prestwich relies heavily on easy access and passing trade, so when the road is closed, it affects not just us but the wider hospitality and retail community.”
Both Croma and Panama Hatty’s are located inside the closed area, with many customers left to presume they are shut(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Earlier this month, Sean set up a petition asking for Bury Council and Muse, the developers of the project, to reconsider the way the works are impacting local trade. The petition, which has had over 1,000 signatures now, said the works are ‘causing severe disruption, isolating vulnerable residents, and damaging local businesses’.
In the petition, it is asked that the midweek closure of Fairfax Road is reviewed, and opened each night to allow residents easy access into the village. “The full closure of Fairfax Road is having a serious impact on everyday life in Prestwich,” the petition says. “This route is one of the main ways people access the village, and without it, many elderly and vulnerable residents are struggling to reach shops, services, and social spaces.”
Bury Council and Muse have said that it would not be possible to open the road during weekday evenings due to a number of safety reasons. However, work on implementing a ‘clear box’ at the junction of Bury New Road, near St Mary’s Road, is underway which aims to ‘reduce some of the congestion’ caused by the road closure.
“Over the last few years, hospitality businesses everywhere have been through the pandemic, rising costs, staffing shortages, and big shifts in how and when people go out,” Panama Hatty’s Sean told the M.E.N. “Prestwich has felt all of that. Local venues have worked incredibly hard to rebuild stability, reconnect with customers, and bring life back into the village.
A petition asking for the road to be opened during weekday evenings has garnered more than 1,000 signatures(Image: Manchester Evening News)
“That recovery is still fragile. Anything that restricts access or reduces footfall, even temporarily, risks undoing the progress that’s been made. We’re a resilient sector, but we’re also vulnerable to prolonged or unnecessary disruption. Residents have told us they’re sitting in long queues on the long re-routes just to get through the village, or they’re avoiding the area altogether because the traffic feels too stressful.
“It’s affecting day‑to‑day life of all the residents, not just the businesses. The closure is creating a ripple effect across the whole community. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see the gates locked on days when the road is completely clear. When there’s no machinery, no work happening or no mess to manage, keeping the gates shut only harms the businesses that rely on people being able to get in and out easily. Simply opening the gates every day would make a huge difference to local trade and to the confidence of businesses that are still rebuilding.”
Andrew, of CROMA, added: “This is eight months of our time. It is not a quick fix for anybody. I do understand the council is under tremendous pressures themselves and it’s good that, in this economy, funds for a project like this have been found, but I think it’s a case of trying to do it properly and supporting the community that is affected by it. I’m not blaming anyone specifically, but it would be good if we could be involved in any conversations about how things could be done to help improve this situation we’re all in.”
Croma, which opened in Prestwich in 2008, also previously had venues in Chorlton and Didsbury(Image: Phil Taylor)
What Bury Council and Muse say
In a joint statement issued to the M.E.N on behalf of Bury Council and Muse, both said they were ‘committed to informing the local community at key points’ of the closure, and will continue this throughout the project. The statement added that, due to safety reasons, it would not be possible to open the road during weekday evenings.
We understand the importance of communicating with local residents and businesses, which is why we have been committed to informing the local community at key points of the road closure, including an advance notice of the work starting, through letters and regular updates to our social media channels and website. We will continue that dialogue throughout the delivery of the village’s regeneration, whilst also looking at how we can reduce disruption during construction.
Some residents have already questioned whether the road can be opened during weekday evenings. Whilst this was something we explored from the outset, unfortunately this would potentially have put residents and workers in harm’s way. The safety of all involved is, and has always been, our top priority.
Restaurant and bar Panama Hatty’s first opened in Prestwich in May 2010(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Undertaking major construction work in a built-up area does present challenges and the decision to implement a temporary road closure followed months of discussions between a transport consultant and Bury Council’s highways department. After considering a number of alternatives, we selected the option that allowed the travel hub to be delivered in the safest and most efficient way possible to enable future phases of the regeneration plans to come forward. During this, significant consideration was given to reducing the impact on local people, which is why we introduced a gated solution to enable the road to re-open on weekends.
However, we appreciate the frustration this road closure has caused to businesses and local residents. As a result, we’ve started work to implement a keep clear box on Bury New Road at the junction of St Mary’s Road to help reduce some of the congestion. This would allow traffic emerging from St Mary’s Road to safely pull out onto Bury New Road. We are also in conversation with Vinci, our construction partner, about placing additional signage to help alleviate confusion and ensure there is minimal impact to local businesses. With construction of the travel hub currently moving at pace and ahead of schedule, we are continuing to work hard to reduce the time period the temporary closure is in place.’
We do appreciate multi-million-pound works of this scale do cause disruption, but we would ask that residents please continue to bear with us while the regeneration takes shape. Ultimately this scheme will transform Prestwich Village and deliver significant benefits for local people.