TOH edition: Saturday, 19 September 2026 · Planet & Nature
It Spent Generations as Coalmines and a Landfill. Now It Is Britain’s Largest Urban Farm.
Reported by The Guardian
Publisher date:
A 65-hectare site in Greater Manchester that once housed two working coalmines, textile mills, an industrial railway, and a municipal rubbish tip has officially reopened as Northern Roots. The newly restored landscape now offers Britain’s largest urban farm, walking trails, and creative green spaces dedicated to community health. The transformation shows how heavily degraded post-industrial wastelands can be reclaimed for public wellbeing and nature.
This landmark restoration demonstrates that no landscape is permanently broken, offering cities everywhere a blueprint for converting toxic industrial relics into shared public assets.
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