There has been a chemists on Whittaker Lane for 100 years. There is also now a barbers, hairdressers, pet grooming parlour, sandwich shop, general store, two takeaways, beauty salon, upholstery repairs, a garage workshop, two haidressers, the Goods In restaurant, and the Royal Oak pub.
They are all clustered at one end of the street near the junction with Bury Old Road, in Heaton Park, Prestwich. Twenty years ago the location was a "ghost town" with boarded up stores, as a Post Office, Chip Shop, and bakers all closed. However now it is now a thriving community of local services, near to the Metrolink Station.
But the owners of all the businesses are locked in a dispute with the local council. It has seen allegations of "zero" consultation, by the town hall and and even vandalism to street signs.
The shop owners are furious at plans to put double yellow lines all the way down the lane on both sides. They have accused Bury Council of "no meaningful consultation" and fear it could have a huge impact on their takings.
The council says there have been parking restrictions on the lane for decades but have opted for double yellow lines so they can enforce restrictions when signs get stolen or vandalised. They claim signs have been defaced or removed six times in the last year. They also claim that there is adequate parking available in the area.
But the shop owners disagree strongly. Adding to the tension, is the fact that a councillor in favour of the restrictions, Alan Quinn, has lived on the lane since 1987.
The council has already painted double yellows on each side outside homes, a church, and primary school, lower down the lane. The plan is to also put them outside the shops, where there is currently a single yellow line, which bars parking between 7am and 7pm on Monday to Saturday but is ignored daily.
Marc Borson, owner of Denis Gore Chemist's said: "There are thirteen businesses that all are operated by local people. The lane is popular, we are the victim of our success. We have a thriving local suburban village the majority of money spent on the lane ends up looking after local families and is of course recirculated within the local economy.
"The double yellow lines are a blunt instrument and are heavy handed. The council is a democratic institution and should therefore act like one. These double yellow will effect livelihoods, local livelihoods. We have had no consultation at all. This is simply a diktat being brought down upon high and it's simply not the way we do things around here. Why can't we have a conversation with the council so they understand us?"
Jake Richardson of the Emporia barbers, said: "They are trying to double yellow the entire street, but with the shops being here, we are trying to say to the council we want a stop and stay facility. You have a barbers, hairdressers, nail shop, groomers. pharmacists. People just need a couple of hours to come in have a haircut, or drop off and collect their dogs.
"We have created a community where someone will come and get a haircut then go to the general store to withdraw some money, then maybe to the chemist to get a prescription. If they do double yellow it, it will end up turning this street into no man's land. There has been no consultation - just a notice put on a lamppost at the end of February saying you have got two weeks to object. It is a proposal but I don't think they are going to listen.
"The council are saying you can have vans unloading and blue badge holders on the double yellows - if two blue badge holders stay there for two hours what's the difference to stop and stay? What we are having is a lot of congestion at 3pm - when they primary school children go home and kids from St Monica's High. For half an hour it is manic. But now they have double yellowed it, where do they expect parents to pick up and drop off kids. Do they expect people to park half a mile away at 9am and 3pm - it will not work."
"It will impact on every single business on the whole street. Elderly customers will have to find parking half a mule away, they will not want to come in. If they make it hard for people to park they are going to say sod that I will go somewhere else."
Mark Jones, who owns a garage repair shop on Infant Street, just off Whittaker Lane, said: "Twenty years ago all round here was boarded up. It was a ghost town. It no longer is, because the council wanted to regenerate the area. They have built the area up, no they are not happy. My solution would be to narrow the pavement and put in two hour maximum parking bays.
"Now that it is a bustling area they are going to shove everyone away. Maybe the method in their madness is move the shops and put them on Prestwich Precinct when it is rebuilt - that is not helping the locals."
Angela To, owner of the Nail Lounge, said: "Double yellows is not going to help my business, and I think people will still be parking there. Older people who can't walk long distances need to pull up outside, they can't walk long distances. Parking bays would make more sense. There is a car park nearby (on Park Street) but that is used by people working at the primary school and people using the tram. I have been here five years and during that time Whittaker Lane shops have thrived."
Irfan Ghani, who runs the Premier convenince store, said: "The council need to see our needs. My customers pop in and pop out - they need just five or ten minutes. In the current economic climate the council has put the rates bill up, my electricity bill has doubled from £2,000 to £4,000. Now this proposal could affect sales, shops will shut, - it will be a ghost town again."
"We are here to give the community a service. During Covid we walked down to elderly people's homes with bags of shopping. The businesses help each other. While they are at Angela's a customer of hers might use my cash machine, and maybe by a drink.
Councilor Quinn, said: "Parking restrictions have existed on Whittaker Lane for decades There is already a single yellow line outside the shops, which means there is ‘no parking’ between 7am and 7pm, Mon-Sat.
“In order to enforce this, however, a supplementary plate – advertising these restrictions – has to be in place. This plate has been stolen on three occasions and vandalised a further three times. Councillors have had complaints raised by residents about the illegal car parking on Whittaker Lane. The move to double yellow lines simply means the restrictions can be enforced when the sign gets stolen or vandalised.
“On wider traffic issues: Whittaker Lane is used by 2,400 vehicles every weekday and is the only thoroughfare linking Bury New Road to Bury Old Road in Prestwich, so is vital for our emergency services. It is also on two bus routes and is used by replacement Metrolink buses.
“The road is 5.6m wide and if one lane is blocked by illegally parked cars then this can lead to traffic struggling to get past. When cars park on the existing yellow line they cause really bad congestion. Parking in bays would cause the same amount of congestion.
“Finally, there is ample short stay car parking nearby. Two businesses have their own car park, and there are three free of charge council car parks on Whittaker Lane, Upper Wilton Street and Park Street. Local councillors remain committed to local businesses."
The new restrictions will still allow disabled badge owners to park in the area for upto three hrs and allow for large vans to unload and load.
Today (March 17th) was the deadline for objections to the plan. Juliette Lewis, who owns the Woof n' Tumble, dog grooming parlour, said: "We want short-stay parking for our customers. Having double yellow lines everywhere frightens everyone off. It will kill the businesses. We would like to have, at least, a consultation period. That's what we have asked for - to be respected. Different businesses have different needs.
"For mine, people need to pick up and drop off quickly. For a haircut you need longer. We have been here 16 years and the chemists longer - we are not multi-million pound conglomerates, we are little, small businesses who have real anxiety now and they say we are going to put double yellow lines up.
"It is because if the Metrolink breaks down and they have to use shuttle buses they must be able to get up and down Whittaker Lane."
Councillor Quinn said: "This road was not built for the volume of traffic we have now. When Metrolink work is taking place at the weekend you can have buses here every seven to ten minutes - its hundreds of buses. If they can't get through, it is an issue. Something has to be done."
"The shops mention about installing a parking bay outside their shops, but this is not possible as there are gas mains under the pavement. I've asked Bury's engineers about doing this."
