Grow Heathrow: Squatters lose court bid to stay

Grow Heathrow has occupied the land for more than two years

A group of squatters who set up a community garden project on private land close to Heathrow Airport have failed in a court bid to stay.

The Grow Heathrow group had argued that eviction would be against their legal right to a home.

But the High Court has ruled that the landowner, Imran Malik, should not be denied his ownership of the land or his right to find use of it.

Grow Heathrow said it would appeal the court's decision.

The group moved on to the site on Vineries Close, Sipson, in March 2010 and cleared the site, which had been neglected and attracted anti-social behaviour problems. They turned it into a community garden and several decided to live there.

The project came out of protests against Heathrow's planned third runway and the site sits directly in the path of where the third runway would be built.

'Taking control'

Judge Karen Walden-Smith described the project as "much loved and well used" by the local community.

However she decided to grant the possession order, saying that Mr Malik could not be denied his ownership of the site because "others find his use of that land to be less acceptable than the use made of it by the trespassing defendants".

Speaking outside court, Grow Heathrow resident May Mackenzie said: "At Grow Heathrow we are taking back control of our lives by bringing a derelict piece of land back into use for the benefit of the community.

"We will also continue to try and persuade the owners to sell the land to a community land trust owned by the local community."

Mr Malik's lawyer Stephen Phillips said: "Mr Malik is very pleased that the judge has acknowledged his rights as the owner of the land by granting him a possession order, but it is disappointing that leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal has been granted."