Prestwich's new Travel Hub would charge £1 for an hour and £2.40 for two, free from 6pm to midnight. It opens this autumn; the other village car parks stay free.
Prestwich’s new Travel Hub car park will charge £1 for the first hour, if Bury Council’s Cabinet agrees the tariff on Wednesday 14 October. Parking would be free from 6pm to midnight.
The building was handed over to the council on 25 September and is due to open this autumn. It is the first finished part of the Prestwich village regeneration.
The charges are set out in an operations strategy report to the 14 October Cabinet. The council announced them in a press release on 7 October.
What it would cost
| Stay (up to) | Charge |
|---|---|
| 1 hour | £1.00 |
| 2 hours | £2.40 |
| 3 hours | £2.70 |
| 4 hours | £3.20 |
| 5 hours | £4.30 |
| 5 to 12 hours | £6.00 |
| 12 to 24 hours | £16.00 |
| Sunday, all day | £1.50 |
On top of that:
- 6pm to midnight is free, to support the village’s evening trade. Charges start again from midnight for anyone parking overnight.
- A monthly season ticket costs £60, with access 24 hours a day. The report says that works out at about £3 a day for someone parking five days a week.
- Electric car charging costs 64p per kWh, the same as the Bury Market car park.
- Cycle storage costs £1 per entry, booked through an app run by Spokesafe.
The report says the rates are modelled on Bury town centre’s car parks, which also charge £2.40 for two hours and £1.50 on Sundays. The 12 to 24 hour rate is higher, because the hub is a secure building. Payment will be cashless only.
Why Prestwich is getting charges
Most parking in Prestwich has been free. The report says the Travel Hub costs about £300,000 a year to run, covering staff, utilities, maintenance and business rates. Without charges, that money would come from the council’s general budget.
That budget is already under strain. The council’s draft budget for 2027/28, going to the same Cabinet meeting, has a £9.6m gap even after new savings.
The report expects the tariff to produce a surplus of £52,388 in the first year, and about £203,412 a year after that, once running costs are met. It admits usage is “difficult to predict until the facility is open”. Parking surveys found 75% of drivers in Prestwich stay two hours or less.
Councillor Charlotte Morris, the cabinet member for regeneration, said: “We recognise that introducing charges is a change, so it’s important to be clear about why we’re doing it.” She said it was fairer “that the people using the facility contribute towards its operation”.
How the hub will run
The council owns the building. APCOA Parking, a private operator, has been appointed to run it. The report says it will have:
- number plate cameras that log entry and exit times and issue charge notices
- barriers and roller shutters at the entrances
- CCTV 24 hours a day
- staff on site for about 12 hours a day, usually 6am to 6pm at first
- electric vehicle charging bays, car club spaces and cycle storage
APCOA is also looking at adding parcel lockers. The report does not give the number of parking spaces.
The other car parks in Prestwich
The report says the other car parks in and around Prestwich village will stay free once the hub opens. The exception is the Longfield car park, which will close for site investigation work before the next phase of building. The council lists it as a free car park with 160 spaces.
The next phase, 1B, is a market hall, new shops, leisure and community space and a new Prestwich Library. Phase 2 is about 248 homes. The scheme is a joint venture between the council and the developer Muse.
What happens next
- Wednesday 14 October: Cabinet is asked to approve the operating plan and the charges.
- Later this autumn: the hub opens once APCOA finishes setting up. The council has not given a date.
- Six months after opening: a report goes back to Cabinet on how the hub is being used and whether the charges should change.
What it means for you
- If you pop into Prestwich for an hour or less, it would cost you £1 in the Travel Hub. The other village car parks stay free.
- If you use the Longfield car park, plan for it to close when the hub opens.
- If you go out in Prestwich in the evening, parking in the hub is free from 6pm until midnight.
- If you commute from Prestwich, the £60 season ticket covers round-the-clock parking. Prestwich tram stop is on the Bury line; times and fares are on our Bury tram times page.
- You will need a card or phone to pay. The hub will not take cash.
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