I, like many other people, was disgusted by the idea of BAA building a third runway at Heathrow. And like many activists my primary motive was the environment. Yet when I spent time with the people who would lose their community should the runway be built, my outlook changed. That was about 3 years ago, and since then things have changed. The third runway is pretty much dead. Not completely, but as dead as it can be without BAA saying they won’t build it given the chance. Great news it was, as well. A real broad movement celebrated.
And then everyone found the next cause to fight, as often happens; after all, we’re surrounded by injustice. But some people didn’t, a group called Transition Heathrow realised that the damage had already been done. That three communities had been devastated by the long hard fight against BAA, houses had been bought by BAA and stand empty, small business’ had left and people had begun to move away to start new lives.
But here’s a thought. What’s the point in slowing climate change if our communities, and the lives of the people in them, are destroyed. What have we won? Sure, the people who don’t live around Heathrow are in a win win situation: the mega environmental disaster project had been halted, and then we could return home. But the villages around Heathrow can’t. They live next to the airport. Their are already living with the hell of this mega project and the after effects of resisting its expansion.
So, this is a call to all you amazing people that fought the third runway. A call to not neglect the communities we helped defend. Sure, their homes may be more secure, but community isn’t just bricks and mortar. It’s people.
For the last 6 months a legally squatted market garden called ‘Grow Heathrow’ has been helping the community rebuild itself. Bringing people together to grow food and friendship. I’ve spent a lot of time there and I can honestly tell you that it’s an amazing place. Where environmentalists, airport workers and local families have a shared vision of their future, and not in some tokenism way either. This is now under threat, the eviction papers have been delivered, and again these villages face another hard battle. It’s the wish of many within the community to keep this project alive and steps are being made to secure the land permanently, to keep this community growing. But they need your help to rebuild and renew, as much as they did when the runway was on the cards.
So please, take the time to find out how you can help.
Self pull - this is a video we edited of the project -
