Heathrow protesters plan 3rd runway site 'fortress' and launch a competition for the fortification design
Protesters plan to build a "fortress" occupied by "ordinary people" on land earmarked for the construction of Heathrow's third runway.
Last year a Greenpeace coalition bought an acre of land near Sipson village and gave ownership to 60,000 people.
It has invited architects to submit designs for a "fortress" to resist bulldozers, if the runway goes ahead.
The government-backed runway is due to be built in 2015. Conservatives and Lib Dems are fighting the £7bn plans.
The coalition gave ownership of the land to 60,000 people in a bid to create legal obstacles to delay or stop the runway scheme.
It launched a competition to design the "impenetrable fortress", to be built as soon as possible unless the airport expansion is abandoned.
Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said: "Whoever wins the next election, they will come under enormous pressure from the all-powerful aviation industry to push ahead with a third runway.
'Business boost'
"But if the bulldozers roll they will face a fortress occupied by a massive movement of ordinary people who oppose Heathrow expansion."
Greenpeace also asked members of the public for ideas how to protect the land, which it bought with groups including the Woodland Trust, the RSPB and World Development Movement.
The best fortress design will be chosen by a panel including sculptor Rachel Whiteread, engineer Professor Neil Thomas and comedian Alistair McGowan.
The former transport secretary Geoff Hoon said last January a new Heathrow runway would create up to 60,000 jobs and would ensure "Britain remains a place where the world can come to do business".
But environmental groups, councils, residents and the RSPB said the expansion would damage wildlife and increase pollution and congestion.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We stand by the decision we made on Heathrow's expansion in January last year."
The Airplot Design Contest
Ever since we bought our piece of land on the site of the proposed third runway at Heathrow, we've been receiving suggestions for what to do with it. We've already sunk our roots into it by establishing an allotment and planting an orchard, but now we want to go one step further and for that we want to get your ideas. Watch the video above for more details, and read on for the full lowdown.
Got an idea? Here's everything you needHow to enter
360˚ panorama
Site plan (pdf)
Judging panel
Full rules
We want to see how we could fortify the Airplot so that, if the police and the bulldozers come to turf us out, we'll be able to physically block the construction of a new runway. Hopefully it will never come to that, because there's no way a new government can continue to support the runway plans, but we want to be prepared.
So we're running not one but two competitions. One is for architects and architecture students to come up with some practical solutions for how we can defend the land, and the other is open to everyone to let their imaginations off the leash. We want to make sure we get the best ideas out there so whether it's a tower, a tunnel or a bouncy castle, get sketching.
Creativity and brilliant ideas are more important than artistic or technical brilliance so even if you're not Frank Lloyd Wright or Frank Gehry, if you have any inspiration get it down on paper.
As if helping to protect the land wasn't enough (and you'd be doing that on behalf of the 65,000+ beneficial owners), the best entries from the public competition will be showcased alongside the architectural designs at an exhibition in London later in the year. We'll bring one overall winner to the exhibition to see their design on display and one of the apple trees in the Airplot orchard will also be dedicated in their honour.
Find out how to enter (you should also check out the full rules), see how the land lies with the site plan (pdf) and get a feel for the Airplot with a 360˚ panorama.
Thinking caps on!
Greenpeace press release.
Celebs and architects launch competition to design Heathrow fortress 28.1.2010
Join the Airplot
(29th January 2010)
Copyright AirportWatch, 2004