Skip to content

Landmark eco-visitors centre 'has to be the best'

Richard Stead
BBC News, Manchester
Northern Roots CGI image of the proposed visitors centre at the Northern Roots eco-centre in Oldham. The image shows a path with a pond and boulders on one side and grass on the other, heading towards the single-storey wood and glass visitors centre. Northern Roots
The visitors centre at Northern Roots is set to be completed in the summer of 2026

Construction work is underway on a landmark £13m visitors centre at the UK's largest urban farm and eco-park.

The Northern Roots regeneration scheme is transforming 160 acres of empty land to the south of Alexandra Park in Oldham.

Oldham Council Leader Arooj Shah said the building would be a "centre of green excellence" which "has to be the best, because that's what people deserve".

The project also includes landscaping, an events arena and a building for teaching forestry skills.

Photograph of Dominique Ferriere at Northern Roots in Oldham. He has white hair down to just below his ears, is wearing a white t-shirt, and is pictured in a field.
Dominique Ferriere has been helping to build polytunnels at Northern Roots in Oldham

The visitors centre will include a café, shop, production kitchen, performance and exhibition space, plus classrooms and meeting rooms.

The nearby forestry skills centre will focus on technical and land-based training, helping residents gain qualifications in sustainable industries.

Dominique Ferriere, 76, a volunteer who has been helping to build six commercial-grade polytunnels at Northern Roots in Oldham, said: "I lost my wife two years ago and I was totally lost, so I became a volunteer and it's given me a new lease of life.

"I feel young again."

Photograph of the construction site at the Northern Roots eco-project in Oldham. There is a digger, metal fencing and a pile of rubble in the background.
Construction work is underway at the £13m visitors centre at Northern Roots

It is hoped the next phase of Northern Roots will boost skills, jobs, tourism, biodiversity and the local economy.

Kimo Morrison, from the Northern Roots charity, said the main inspiration behind the project was to bring "hope and pride to Oldham".

She said: "Why should Oldham not have something which is really special?"

Photograph of Kimo Morrison from Northern Roots. She has shoulder length black hair. There are industrial-strength polytunnels under construction in the background.
Kimo Morrison is from the Northern Roots charity

Over the last two years, the Northern Roots charity has established the first phase of the Urban Farm, where volunteers grow fruit and vegetables.

Different wildlife habitats have also been created, with over 2,000 new trees, six ponds, a community garden and a wildflower meadow.

Louise Gibbs, 39, who lives in nearby Fitton Hill and works at Northern Roots, said: "At my children's school, a lot of the teachers are really eager to bring classes down and people are excited at the job prospects which are going to be available."

Photograph of Louise Gibbs. She has platinum blonde hair, is wearing a grey-green t-shirt, and is standing in front of a pile of woodchip cuttings which is used as mulch on flowerbeds.
Louise Gibbs works at Northern Roots

The Northern Roots project is being delivered with support from the government's Town Deal Fund and Levelling Up Fund.

The visitors centre at Northern Roots is expected to open in summer 2026.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

Related stories