UK: Urban farm to be built in the middle of Swansea city centre
The project features two south facing greenhouses at roof level and will produce up to 4.5 tonnes of fruits, vegetables, salads and herbs per year, with the residents running and managing the urban farm as a social enterprise
By Chris Pyke
Business Live
Apr 13, 2021
Excerpt:
The development on the site of former Woolworth store in Swansea city centre is being hailed as a first for the UK.
While the innovative mixed-use regeneration development on the city’s Oxford Street will provide affordable new homes and workspaces it will also be alongside a community urban farm.
The project features two south facing greenhouses at roof level, the largest of which will be serviced by an aquaponics system designed to produce up to 4.5 tonnes of fruits, vegetables, salads and herbs per year.
The aquaponics system will create a continuous cycle where waste produced by fish, living in onsite tanks, adds nutrients to the water which feeds the greenhouse plants. The water is then filtered and recirculated back into the system.
Biophilic Swansea’s aquaponic fish tanks and associated equipment will be developed in partnership with Swansea University’s Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR) and will form part of an education and public display on the ground floor of the tower.
The vision for Biophilic Swansea includes residents running and managing the urban farm as a social enterprise. This is founded on research demonstrating that reconnecting with nature is essential to our well-being, and that there are positive community and health outcomes from growing food and living more closely with the natural world.
