Greenpeace Heathrow campaign takes to the road

A silver Airstream ‘campaign plane’ embarked on a month-long tour of London and the Thames Valley yesterday morning to record the voices of people opposed to expansion at Heathrow. The trailer tour will land across the capital as the government prepares to launch a consultation into plans for a third runway at the airport.

Thousands of Londoners’ voices will be collected during the tour and computer-digitised then blared through loud-speakers at representatives of the aviation industry and government – reversing the noise experienced daily by millions of people living under Heathrow’s flightpaths.

The tour – organised by Greenpeace - was launched in the village of Sipson with the local MP, John McDonnell. The village is the site of the proposed third runway where thousands of protesters gathered earlier this year for the Climate Camp. Scores of voices have already been recorded and roared back at a volume approaching 100 decibels outside the headquarters of British Airways and the British Airports Authority yesterday.

The ‘campaign plane’ is showing a film detailing why Heathrow expansion would be an environmental disaster, while Greenpeace campaigners are on hand to answer questions about the campaign. The tour will continue over the next month including stopovers at the Lord Mayor’s Show, Hampstead, Clapham, Windsor, Brick Lane, the South Bank as well as many other places.

Emily Armistead, Greenpeace Senior Transport Campaigner said: “The fight to block a third runway at Heathrow is now one of the biggest environmental battles in Europe, and it’s one we intend to win."

Check out the Greenpeace video wall at stopheathrow.org