Agenda item

The Board received a presentation which updated Members on the progress made regarding the Alexandra Park Eco-Centre and Northern Roots.

In relation to the Alexandra Park Eco-Centre, Members noted that the current depot was reaching the end of its useful life and would be replaced by the new ECO Centre. The presentation showed the Board the proposed layout of the new Centre and how it may look when completed. The Board also received details of the technical options being considered both to make the Centre water and energy efficient and to demonstrate the potential of these options to the visiting public.  

Members asked for and received clarification on:

·       Accessibility and public transport links – the Centre would be fully accessible. There would be facilities for cycling and the tram was 15 minutes’ walk away. Work would be undertaken with Highways to ensure it was easy to walk to. Unlike the depot, which was fenced off, the new Centre would link into the park and could be accessed from all sides of it.

·       Would the Biomass unit use Oldham’s green waste and could it be rolled out to other parks – the Biomass unit would use Oldham’s green waste and the anaerobic digester could also take green waste, though this would be a small demonstrator model. There was potential to take this out to other parks.

·       Rainwater harvesting from the lake – it may be possible to use lake water and there would eb collection and storage tanks on site. The rainwater would be filtered and would not be used for drinking water.

·       What facilities the Centre would open with – everything would be up and running from Day 1.

·       When the centre would break even – consultants were currently working on this and it was projected to pay for itself in 5-6 years. There would be revenue savings going forward.

·       Green waste capacity – 600 tons for this site, which would produce excess energy to be sold back to the grid. There proposals were specific to the ECO-Centre and other parks may be considered later.  

In relation to the Northern Roots project, Members were updated on progress and the four main areas of current work.

The Board noted the project covered a large area and there were complex land and planning issues to be addressed. It was intended that the initial planning application would be lodged this year.

Members were informed of the potential of the Green and Blue Strategy, which would inform the business strategy when the costs and potential savings were fully analysed. The business case and model were being developed and the aim was to licence local operators and individuals to deliver parts of the development. The Board noted this would be a genuine business and the right mix of commercial, environmental and social outcomes would need to be identified.

The Growing Hub, to be relocated as part of the ECO-Centre project, would form the first basecamp from which the Northern Roots project would expand, and activities would be piloted on site to draw people in and enable meaningful consultation and testing of business models.

The Board was informed that funding was complex. The legal and governance structure had been scoped and different options were being evaluated. Members were reminded that these options would be the subject of a workshop on Monday 3^rd February, at 5.30pm and that papers would be available before the workshop.

It was noted that the project had received a lot of local and national attention as it was trail-blazing. The proposals were relevant to many Councils looking to become carbon-neutral and make best use of their open spaces, and were being looked at by many national organisations.

Members asked for and received clarification on the following:

·       Communications and advertising of the project – communications had just been launched and responses would be evaluated.

·       Measuring success – the expected outcomes would be set out clearly so success could be measured and demonstrated. Successes in the project would also feed into other Council targets

RESOLVED that:

1.     The progress made to date regarding the Alexandra Park Eco-Centre and Northern Roots be noted.

2.     The date and time of the workshop to consider legal and governance structures, on Monday 3rd February, at 5.30pm, be noted