Fairfax Road, Prestwich to reopen over Easter weekend

The busy road has been closed in various forms since October as the council progresses with a new £14 million multi-storey car park and 'travel hub'.

It initially closed on weekdays only before fully shutting to drivers seven-days-a-week from early March as the authority progressed with the multi-million-pound regeneration project.

Now, though, the council has confirmed the road will reopen to drivers from 5pm on Thursday, April 2, and remain open over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

It will close again from 7am on Tuesday, April 7, and remain shut until "probably the end of April", when it is expected to reopen, according to an update from Cllr Eamonn O'Brien, the council's leader, last week.

In an update on Monday, the council said: "Good news! Fairfax Road will be fully open this weekend.

Fairfax Road closure sign.

"To support local businesses and to make getting around the village easier during the Easter bank holiday, Fairfax Road will temporarily reopen.

"We hope this helps you enjoy and make the most of local events, days out, and everything Prestwich has to offer over the long weekend.

"Final stage works for the travel hub will resume after the weekend.

"Thank you for your continued patience and support."

It comes as the 'travel hub' project hits major milestones and edges closer to its proposed July 2026 opening date.

The car park will include 301 spaces and is part of a wider £100m+ investment into Prestwich, which will also bring 248 homes, a new library, a market hall and commercial space.

An artist's impression of the Prestwich regeneration project (Image: Bury Council/Muse)

The latter phases of the works will involve demolishing the Longfield Centre to make way for the new facilities, with a demolition contractor appointed this month and work expected to begin within weeks.

The closure around Fairfax Road led to concerns from local businesses, who said footfall had "collapsed" since the works began in October.

“It’s the worst possible scenario for residents and the few local businesses we have left,” said Sean Roche, manager at Panama Hatty’s, a grill restaurant that’s been in the town since 2010.

Sean has been campaigning for local businesses, trying to get their voices heard by the council and urban developers Muse, who are leading the major revamp of Prestwich centre.

"Prestwich is already edging towards becoming a ghost town,” Sean continued.

“Footfall has collapsed, and this closure will wipe out what little passing trade remains. No quick trips to local shops, long diversions, heavy traffic on the reroute, it all adds up to people avoiding Prestwich altogether.

General manager Sean Roche (L) (Image: supplied)

“Hospitality is already on its knees, with places closing every single week. For small, independent businesses, weekend trade is the make-or-break. Losing that for two months is devastating, and it’s hard to see how some will survive it.”

The council warned last week that further travel disruption should be expected once the second phase of the project - for homes, the library and commercial facilities - gets underway.

In a video update, Cllr O'Brien said: "Up until now, there's been some disruption. Fairfax Road has been closed, and, undoubtedly, that has caused challenges for residents and for businesses.

"We're really keen to make sure that scheme comes to an end as soon as possible, probably by the end of April, and that's going to allow us the opportunity to reopen that road and support the opening of the new travel hub soon after that.

"This is exciting news for Prestwich, it's exciting news for the borough, and I'm really pleased to be able to welcome it, as someone who's born here, raised here, and lived all his life in Prestwich; this is a fantastic moment for all of us.

"There's likely to be disruption as part of this next scheme, as well, so bear with us with all of that and keep supporting your local businesses, your local shops, because they will need your support in the meantime.

"But at the end of it will be a fantastic regeneration scheme for Prestwich. It'll be more than £100 million in total that's invested here."