Eco-park emphasises future of regeneration in the UK

A landmark urban farm and eco-park, which has been under development for five years, will open its welcome centre on Saturday.

The £13m Northern Roots project, built on 160 acres of disused industrial land to the south of Alexandra Park in Oldham, is set to become the largest urban farm and eco-park in the UK within the next four years.

The site is home to community gardens, along with an events arena and a building for teaching forestry skills.

Chief Executive at Northern Roots, Anna Da Silva, said she hoped the opening would highlight what Northern Roots "could teach us about the future of regeneration in the UK" and how working with nature will "help nature look after us".

The visitors centre includes a café, shop, production kitchen, performance and exhibition space, in addition to classrooms and meeting rooms.

It also hopes to deliver 300 nature-based health prescriptions each year through what is dubbed its "natural health service", working alongside local GPs, hospitals and cancer recovery services, Da Silva said.

Formerly home to a cotton mill, coal mines and a railway line, Da Silva said there were similar spaces across Greater Manchester currently being "used and abused" which could be recovered in the service of nature, forging new skills and jobs and benefitting health and community.

Da Silva detailed how ponds have been created to capture water in the hope of reducing flooding episodes in the city centre.

"We're trying to show how you can nourish and nurture this land, so that it looks after us," she said.

"The more trees we can plant, the more carbon we can capture - but also the more we can improve air quality for local residents."

Various wildlife habitats have been created as part of the project, with more than 2,000 new trees planted, alongside six ponds and a wildflower meadow.

The site is set to host a programme of events, volunteering activities and wellbeing initiatives and, by 2030, to welcome 4,500 school visits annually.

It is also home to a number of small businesses, including a beekeeper, butterfly breeder, blacksmith and fruit tree specialists, as well as a business growing flax and dye plants - with plans for an onsite yoga practitioner.

"With the change in climate, the challenges of fuel prices and the cost of living, we're showing what amazing produce you can make available to people if you just look at how we use our land differently," said Da Silva.

Following Saturday's free opening event, the visitor centre will be open to the public from Thursday to Sunday.

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