Northern Roots Urban Farm and Eco-Park
Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor
Oldham is currently undertaking one of the most ambitious ecologically-driven green space renovation projects in the country. Northern Roots is creating the UK’s largest Urban Farm and Eco Park on a 160 acre plot of green space in the heart of Oldham. The project looks set to completely transform the area, providing jobs, activities and opportunities for upskilling in the local community.
Give local people the chance to get hands-on with the agricultural process.
The farm itself has used research from the University of Salford and business models seen by rooftop farms in New York to build a sustainable approach to urban farming. Eventually, they hope to farm a variety of crops as well as keeping bees and poultry. The farm will give local people the chance to get hands-on with the agricultural process, teaching skills that will help them provide sustainable food systems in the future. You can find out how to get involved via the volunteering section of the website (just hit the ‘Visit Now’ button below).
Encouraging multiple communities to get active and socialise together.
As for the park, this will feature new and intriguing routes for running, walking and cycling with a mixture of terrain and difficulty levels. There’ll also be new sports pitches created and a whole area dedicated to team sports, encouraging multiple communities to get active and socialise together. In the wooded area of the land there are also plans to build a treetop assault course.
The Northern Roots Urban Farm and Eco-Park aims to attract visitors from far and wide, and there are plans to build an information centre with an onsite micro brewery. As the developments progress, we should see a much-needed increase in biodiversity in the area. Maybe in a few years we’ll be able to wander through the wooded area of the park and spot many species of flora and fauna while still being in the heart of Oldham.
The due date for this ambitious project is still a little hazy, but when more concrete information rolls in, you’ll find it here.
