I don’t often re-post long messages from elsewhere, but this one is a little different, and it’s something I’ve been involved with for years, opposing airport expansion in general and the expansion of Heathrow in particular.
I grew up in a house under the flight path of one of Heathrow’s two main runways, and almost every day of the year planes were coming into land very low over our back garden and rattling the windows of our house , and for some time I was a keen plane spotter – back in the days before they removed the identification letters to make complaints harder. But then I grew up, and soon realised that this was an airport in the wrong place, and later became aware of the lies and deception that led to its setting up and then gained permission for each stage of its expansion with promises that it would be the last.
In 2003 I took part in the protest march against a third runway from Sipson to a rally on the village green at Harmondsworth (above – and more pictures) and I’ve photographed many protests against it since. The Airplot is an effort to make the development of a small piece of land needed for the third runway legally rather more difficult by registering as many people as possible as ‘beneficial owners’, and I’ve been since very soon after Greenpeace came up with the idea – and if you are not already one, please join up now.
Tree-climbing Climate Rush suffragettes on the Airplot in 2009
So here is the message from the Airplot team – and please do it now.
Hi folks,
Airplot: http://www.airplot.org.uk
As you might know, Airplot is a small piece of land in the village of Sipson, on the edge of Heathrow Airport. If Heathrow’s third runway goes ahead, both Airplot and Sipson would be destroyed.
So far, an incredible 77,500 people have signed up as beneficial owners to Airplot, along with Greenpeace, Greenpeace, Emma Thompson, Alistair McGowan and Zac Goldsmith. We want to reach 100,000 by May 1st. Can you help?
We realise that you might already be signed up – if you are, please try and get some more people involved, like your friends and family. There’s just three weeks left to do this; when the deeds are finalised on May 1st,the names of all Airplotters will be included, and everyone will be issued with a certificate of beneficial ownership.
If Heathrow expands, Sipson and the surrounding area would be destroyed, and the airport would become the single biggest source of climate pollution in the country. Even though the current government’s plans for Heathrow received a major setback in the courts last month, we will not rest until the project is completely shelved.
If the new government tries to restart the project, we will challenge the proposals through the planning system and are prepared to take peaceful direct action to stop the runway.
Help us grow the Airplot community 100,000, to defend Sipson and the climate, and to let the next UK government realises it is answerable to a huge body of people.
While there is still time please:
Share this message on Facebook and post it to your profile
Get all your family to sign up at http://www.airplot.org.uk
Invite your friends to: http://www.airplot.org.uk
Tweet it, or retweet our Airplot posts from @greenpeaceukThank you!
The Airplot Team
