Feature: The Grow Heathrow! Campaign - Building Community Resilience

On the first day of March this year a group of 30 people gathered outside a neglected plot of land on the site of the proposed 3rd runway in the Heathrow village of Sipson.

For years residents [1] and activists [2] had campaigned together to stop the expansion [3] of Heathrow airport, and now they had come together to build grassroots solutions to the threat of climate change and peak oil, led by the people directly impacted on the ground.

A hole in the fence allowed the first of the group onto the land and as they put up a squatter’s rights notice on the gates, the rest followed into the site of Sipson’s new community garden; ‘Grow Heathrow [4]’ was born.

Six months later and the garden is unrecognizable from the site that caused a spectrum of social problems for the community before it was reclaimed. In the early days of spring, teams of people cleared, carried and worked together to remove 30 tonnes of rubbish, while two 60ft greenhouses were reglazed and permaculturists sowed seeds to return the land to a thriving market garden.

“Grow Heathrow is part of a budding land movement in the UK connecting struggles to take back control of our food production..."

A host of events have been held in the garden including a banquet attended by 80 people using fresh vegetables grown on the land. And in May a flying critical mass picket was launched from the raised beds, where 20 cyclists stormed Terminal 5 in solidarity with workers on strike from BA. Shared meals with residents and activists are common-place using courgettes, spinach, tomatoes, butternut squash, herbs, all pulled from Sipson soil.

Now in August and as discussions for winter structures begin, a new notice has been hung next to the section 46 on the front gates; a court summons has been served to the project.

At first rumours flew round the village and a troop of concerned locals fled to the garden hearing that the landlord and heavies had come to claim the land. They found instead Transition Heathrow gardeners pouring over court papers, plotting and planning to protect the space they had put so much love and time into.
 

Negotiations have started to make the garden a long-term community-owned space, as statements of support come flying in to the Sipson greenhouses.

Resident Linda McCutcheon said:

“It's been brilliant to see the site on Vineries Close come back to life after all the social issues from before. I've had a lot of fun with the group at the garden - turning it into a safe, positive and thriving place for Sipson - you should see the yellow courgettes! Transition Heathrow has a lot of support in this area and I'll be with them over the next couple of weeks to ensure this exciting project has a future.”

Transition Heathrow member Joe Rake said:

“Grow Heathrow is part of a budding land movement in the UK connecting struggles to take back control of our food production. In building resilient communities to environmental and economic crises we want to defend real alternatives to the systems of false democracy...”

‘Grow Heathrow’ is calling for support. To help you can go to Uxbridge County court at 10.30am on the September 2, keep up to date for the outcome of the court case, sign the petition on the website and send statements of support to [5].

Words: Grow Heathrow

Photo: Flickr user Transition Heathrow [6]

For more information visit www.transitionheathrow.com [7]
 

Disclaimer: This is an opinion feature written by Grow Heathrow and is not necessarily reflective of Christian Aid and Ctrl.Alt.Shift views.