Northern Roots Opens Urban Farm and Eco-Park on Former Industrial Land in Oldham
A large area of former industrial land in Oldham has opened a new chapter as an urban farm and eco-park, bringing together sustainable food production, habitat restoration, vocational training and community health programs.
The 160-acre, or approximately 65-hectare, Northern Roots site lies close to Alexandra Park in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The landscape previously accommodated cotton mills, coal mines and an industrial railway, while around 24 hectares were later used as a waste tip. Much of the land was subsequently left to regenerate naturally.
Over the past several years, Northern Roots, a local charity, and Oldham Council have worked together to transform the site into an environmental and community asset. A new phase opened to the public in September 2026, including a Welcome Building, café, shop, production kitchen, performance and exhibition spaces, a Forestry Skills Centre, outdoor play areas and an expanded urban farm.
The initiative reflects a broader approach to urban regeneration in which underused land is treated as infrastructure capable of delivering environmental, health and economic benefits rather than simply as an area requiring maintenance.
Regenerative Agriculture at the Center of the Project
Food production forms an important part of Northern Roots. The site's urban farm includes approximately four acres of active growing space, with produce intended for use in the on-site café as part of a farm-to-fork model.
Plans for the expanded farm include regenerative agricultural practices such as agroforestry and alley cropping, along with fruit, vegetable and flower cultivation. The project also incorporates hydroponics, aquaponics, bees and chickens, sustainable drainage, water management and traditional hedge-laying techniques.
Rather than focusing only on agricultural output, the farm is intended to function as a demonstration and learning environment. This creates opportunities to test how food production can be integrated into densely populated areas while supporting soil health, biodiversity and local food access.
The wider eco-park contains woodland, grassland, wetlands and freshwater habitats. Around two-thirds of the site is forested, according to Northern Roots, while the southern section includes Bankfield Clough, an area recognized locally for its biological importance.
Land management work includes woodland restoration, hedge planting and pond creation. Northern Roots says these interventions are intended to support biodiversity while also contributing to carbon storage, improved soil and air quality and reduced flood risk within the Medlock Valley.
Green Space as Public Infrastructure
A central premise behind the project is that urban green space can provide services that extend beyond recreation.
Northern Roots has argued that land should increasingly be considered part of the infrastructure available to address public health, skills, environmental and community challenges.
One example is its Natural Health Service, which was initially commissioned through NHS England. The program began in 2023 as a six-month pilot involving patients from Hill Top GP Surgery in Fitton Hill and has subsequently developed work with healthcare providers supporting people experiencing mental health challenges.
Activities can include foraging, bushcraft and making items from natural materials, providing participants with structured opportunities to spend time outside. The approach is part of the wider practice of social prescribing, in which patients may be connected with non-clinical activities and community services alongside conventional healthcare.
Northern Roots aims to attract around 300,000 visitors annually by 2030 while expanding social prescribing, training and employment opportunities.
Skills and the Green Economy
The new Forestry Skills Centre adds an employment and training component to the site.
The facility is intended to provide vocational learning connected with technical and land-based occupations, including woodland management, landscaping and crop production. This could help create pathways into sectors associated with nature restoration, sustainable agriculture and the wider green economy.
Construction of the Welcome Building and Forestry Skills Centre was led by Willmott Dixon. During construction, the contractor also provided employment and training opportunities for Oldham residents, including positions for previously unemployed people and a dedicated employability program.
The project therefore illustrates how investment in environmental infrastructure can be connected with workforce development, rather than treating biodiversity and employment policies as separate areas.
Public Funding Supports the Transformation
Development of the site has relied significantly on public investment.
Oldham Council states that more than £14 million was secured through national government programs including the Town Deal and Levelling Up Fund to support the Northern Roots project and associated development. The council describes the initiative as part of its wider "Green and Growing" priorities.
Earlier council information put central government support for construction of the key buildings at approximately £12.9 million. Additional funding has also supported other elements of the project, including nature and heritage activities.
The wider Oldham Town Deal totaled £24.4 million, covering Northern Roots alongside other regeneration projects in the area.
This combination of environmental restoration and regeneration funding is significant because large urban nature projects often face challenges in demonstrating financial returns using conventional infrastructure metrics.
Northern Roots is effectively testing a broader model in which value can also come from improved health, reduced flood risk, biodiversity, education, skills development, tourism and community participation.
A Model for Post-Industrial Urban Land
Northern Roots is particularly relevant to other towns and cities with former industrial or underused land.
Many urban areas contain brownfield sites, degraded green spaces or former infrastructure corridors that can be expensive to maintain but difficult to develop conventionally. Converting some of these areas into multifunctional green infrastructure could provide an alternative pathway where conditions allow.
The project also highlights the potential interaction between urban agriculture and wider net zero strategies. Locally grown food does not automatically have a lower carbon footprint than conventionally produced food, as emissions depend on production methods, energy use, inputs and transport. However, regenerative urban farming can provide additional benefits through soil improvement, education, biodiversity and shorter links between food production and consumers.
Northern Roots also sits within a broader Greater Manchester strategy for natural capital and green infrastructure. Regional planning work has identified the Oldham project as one of the areas where investment in green infrastructure and ecosystem services could be directed.
The long-term significance of the project will therefore depend not only on visitor numbers but on whether its environmental and social outcomes can be measured convincingly.
If Northern Roots can demonstrate measurable improvements in biodiversity, health, employment, skills and local economic activity, it could strengthen the case for treating restored urban land as productive infrastructure rather than simply as an amenity.
For Oldham, the transformation from coal mines, mills and wasteland to farming, woodland and community facilities also represents a shift in how post-industrial landscapes can be used. The project does not remove the environmental legacy of the site, but it provides a practical example of how that land can be managed differently as cities consider nature restoration, climate resilience and community wellbeing together.
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