Northern Roots Eco-Park Opens in Oldham, Turning Former Industrial Land into a Community Green Hub

The 65-hectare (160-acre) former industrial site in Oldham, Greater Manchester—once home to two cotton mills, two coal mines and an industrial railway—has been redeveloped by the charity Northern Roots. On September 19 a new facility will open to the public, offering a café, shop, production kitchen, performance space, forestry-skills centre, outdoor play areas and an urban farm. The project began with Oldham council’s desire to treat the land as an asset, and the council now works in partnership with Northern Roots to manage the space.

The Guardian

Northern Roots runs seven activity programmes covering farming, food, arts, culture, sport, business and learning. A flagship element is the Natural Health Service, commissioned by NHS England and launched as a six-month pilot in 2023 with patients from Hill Top GP surgery in Fitton Hill. The service delivers non-clinical sessions—such as foraging, bushcraft and mindful nature observation—to support people facing mental-health challenges. Independent NHS research published in 2025 reported that participants improved their wellbeing scores by an average of 8.15 points on the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and generated an estimated £4,940 in social value per participant.

The Guardian

Founder and chief executive Anna da Silva says Northern Roots aims to attract 300,000 visitors a year by 2030, dispense hundreds of social-prescription referrals and create employment and training opportunities. The charity frames urban green space as “critical infrastructure,” arguing that modest investment in land can relieve pressure on hospitals and schools.

The Guardian

Da Silva explained that the project seeks to shift perception of the site from a maintenance burden to a community resource. Community champions Faiza Awan and Louise Gibbs stress the park’s welcoming, democratic atmosphere and its role in fostering local ownership and belonging.

The Guardian

• “We wanted to look at what this land could do for Oldham, rather than simply seeing it as land that needed maintaining,” — Anna

The Guardian

• “With it being outside, people automatically feel comfort.” — Faiza Awan

The Guardian