Decision details

To take advantage of the offer to create a 'Northern Roots Oldham' show garden at the 2020 RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, as a means of promoting the development of the Northern Roots project and Alexandra Park ECO, while also enhancing the Growing Hub which needs to be relocated to facilitate the ECO.
Following the show, the garden will be relocated to become the heart of the new Growing Hub space at the entrance to the Northern Roots site. The creation of the new Growing Hub will mark the first tangible step in the delivery of both the ECO and Northern Roots project.

RESOLVED - that the application for a show garden dedicated to Northern Roots, underwrite the budget for the show garden up to a value of £80,000, approve the subsequent relocation of the show garden into the new Growing Hub on the Northern Roots site, and give permission to Council Officers to pursue a range of funding sources to finance the creation and relocation of the show garden.

Should the Council decide not to support this initiative, the show garden will still go ahead, demonstrating growing and community activities within Oldham, however it will showcase the activities of the Social Enterprise IF Oldham, rather than the Council-led initiatives.
Option 1 - Approve the application for a show garden dedicated to Northern Roots.
Option 2 - Refuse offer of involvement. Support relocation of the Growing Hub to the Northern Roots site and leave IF Oldham to develop a show garden to be relocated elsewhere in the borough.

Option 2

Approval received by Cllr Abdul Jabbar