Northern Roots is being brought to life as a catalyst for economic and environmental regeneration, creativity, entrepreneurship, health and wellbeing, and communal pride.
We are building an innovative new model for harnessing green space, a model that is being developed for and with local communities to deliver sustainable benefits for people, planet and place.
People: producing healthy food, supporting physical activity, promoting connection with nature and community, and enhancing health and wellbeing.
Planet: managing and improving the landscape to build biodiversity, capture carbon, enhance water quality and increase ecosystem service value.
Place: generating training, education, jobs and business opportunities, attracting new visitors and investors to Oldham, and enhancing civic pride.
We aim to achieve the following targets by 2030:
People
- 300 Natural Health Service prescriptions per year
- 4,500 school visits per year
- 150 volunteering placements and 25 work experience placements per year
- 15 trainee or apprentice positions per year
PLANET
- 25% biodiversity net gain, through grassland enrichment, woodland management, tree and hedge planting, and wetland creation
- 30,000 tonnes of carbon stored in woodland and soils by 2050
- 400 KWP of green energy generated
- Water Quality improved and run off reduced
- Earth worm populations increased by 87 million
PLACE
- 100,000 visitors to Northern Roots per year by the year 2027, 300,000 by 2030
- Supporting up to 40 new businesses
- 60-80 new jobs created, 20% occupied by people who would otherwise be unemployed.