Hoping to stall the development of a new runway at Heathrow, the environmental organisation have purchased a plot of land that sits directly in its path.
In their latest attempt to block the planned expansion of Heathrow airport, Greenpeace campaigners have purchased an acre of land earmarked for the new runway.
The group plan to divide the land into as many as 4,000 separate pieces and sell them to climate-aware individuals all over the world. By taking this step, Greenpeace hope to delay, and ultimately prevent, the construction of a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow airport.
It is hoped that the additional time and cost that the airport’s owners, BAA, will incur in their attempts to purchase each of the small plots of land back from their owners will ultimately mean that the much-contested development is abandoned, even if the government’s compulsory purchase process is put into force.
Should the planned development go ahead it will see a reported 2,000 people in the village of Sipson lose their homes as the village is demolished to make room for the new runway.
More worrying still, the plans also imply that the number of flights into and out of the airport to increase from 480,000 to 720,000 each year. This will significantly increase both the noise and pollution levels the airport emits, and make Heathrow the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.
While the purchase price of the protester's field is not known, several celebrities are confirmed to have made a contribution to the cost. Actress Emma Thomson and impressionist Alistair Mcgowan have both given their name to the cause.
“I don’t understand how any government remotely serious about committing to reversing climate change can even consider these ridiculous plans. We’ll stop this from happening even if we have to move in and plant vegetables.” Said the Oscar-winning actress.
Greenpeace director, John Sauven has confirmed that no profit will be made from the resale of the land and acknowledged that these plans have been a long time coming to fruition. It’s believed that Greenpeace had to purchase the land under the guise of setting up a donkey sanctuary in order to get the sale approved.
Despite receiving resistance from opposition parties and many environmental charities, the government were due to approve plans for the new runway this week. However, it is now believed that the decision has been put on hold until after Gordon Brown meets with Labour back benchers.
Supporters of the new runway have argued that the planned expansion is essential for the UK economy going forward, with 65,000 new jobs expected to be created as a result.
