The
M11 link road protest was an anti-road campaign in
east London,
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
in the early 1990s. Though ultimately unsuccessful, the campaign was a significant factor in increasing the cost of constructing the road, and together with others in the UK at that time, is considered by many to have played a major role in the large-scale cutbacks in the road building programme that followed in subsequent years.
Background
Proposals first arose in the 1960s for a new
link roadA link road is an important transport infrastructure road that links two conurbations or other major road transport facilities, often added because of increasing road traffic...
in north-east London, linking what is now the
M11 motorwayThe M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
with the A102(M) Eastway (see
A102 roadThe A102 is a road that starts in Clapton in the north London Borough of Hackney and ends in Kidbrooke in the south London Borough of Greenwich...
and
East Cross RouteEast Cross Route was the designation for the eastern section of Ringway 1, the innermost circuit of the London Ringways network, a complex and comprehensive plan for a network of high speed roads circling and radiating out from central London designed to manage and control the flow of traffic...
). At that time, traffic travelling between central and southern areas of London and
East AngliaEast Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
had to contend with a long stretch of single-carriageway roads through the suburbs of
LeytonLeyton is an area of East London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney....
,
LeytonstoneLeytonstone is an area of East London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is a high density suburban area, located north east of Charing Cross in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Essex...
and
WansteadWanstead is a suburban area in the London Borough of Redbridge, East London. The main road going through Wanstead is the A12. The name is from the Anglo-Saxon words wænn and stede, meaning "settlement on a small hill"....
. However, the road scheme was sidelined, and increasing traffic levels throughout the next two decades led to serious
congestionTraffic congestion is a condition on networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction between vehicles...
in these areas.
The first Link Road Action Group was formed in 1976, when the plans for the relief road were finalised. For the next 15 years, activists fought government plans through a series of
public enquiriesA Public inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government. A public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more public forum and focuses on a more specific occurrence...
. Their alternative was to build a road tunnel, leaving the houses untouched, but this was rejected on grounds of cost. By the 1980s, planning blight had affected the area and many of the houses had become home to a community of artists and squatters. Eventually, contractors were appointed to carry out the work and a compulsory purchase of property along the proposed route was undertaken.
Around the same time,
environmentalistEnvironmentalism is a broad philosophy and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the state of the environment...
groups were voicing
dissentDissent is a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or an entity...
towards the upturn in road building. This began to manifest itself in
direct actionDirect action is politically motivated activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political goals outside of normal social/political channels. Direct action can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the...
campaigns against road construction schemes that were actually in progress, notably at
Twyford DownTwyford Down is a small area of ancient chalk downland lying directly to the southeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The down's summit, known as Deacon Hill, is towards the north-eastern edge of the area which is renowned for its dramatic rolling scenery, ecologically rich grassland and as a...
in
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
. The campaigns attracted several thousand people to their cause, many of whom were from
countercultureCounterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition...
backgrounds.
The protest campaign in East London
By 1990, the majority of the houses along the route of the proposed road had been
compulsorily purchasedA compulsory purchase order ' is a legal function in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that allows certain bodies which need to obtain land or property to do so without the consent of the owner. It may be used, for example, when building motorways where a land owner does not want to sell...
, although the
demolitionDemolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
process had not yet begun. This led to many of the houses being let out temporarily to housing associations, while others lay empty. Several original residents, who had in some cases lived in their homes all their lives, refused to sell or move out of their properties. Large numbers of the empty houses were
squattedSquatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use. Squatting is significantly more common in urban areas than rural areas, especially when urban decay occurs...
.
Locally-based protest against the link road scheme was taking place, but the availability of free housing along the route attracted large numbers of campaigners from around the UK and beyond. The arrival of these experienced anti-road protest veterans gave impetus to the campaign and introduced skills which would be put into practice in the construction of "defences".
Sophisticated techniques were used to delay the construction of the road.
Sit-inA sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more persons nonviolently occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change.-Process:...
s and site invasions were combined with
sabotageSabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions...
to temporarily stop construction work. This led to large numbers of
policeLaw enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....
and constant security patrols being employed to protect the construction sites, at great expense — the delays and security escalated the total cost of construction by tens of millions of
poundThe pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
s.
The protesters were successful in publicising the campaign, with most UK newspapers and TV news programmes covering the protests on a regular basis.
Desktop publishingDesktop publishing combines a personal computer and WYSIWYG page layout software to create publication documents on a computer for either large scale publishing or small scale local multifunction peripheral output and distribution....
, then in its infancy, was used to produce publicity materials for the campaign and send out faxes to the media. A number of "stunts" were carried out, the most notable being rooftop protests on the
Palace of WestminsterThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
and at the home of
John MacGregorJohn Roddick Russell MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, OBE PC FKC, born , is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was educated at Merchiston Castle School, then at the University of St Andrews and at King's College London...
, the
Minister for TransportThe Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
at that time,
To counter the campaign, the government began
evictingEviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord.Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, eviction may also be known as unlawful detainer, summary possession, summary dispossess, forcible detainer, ejectment, and repossession, among other terms...
residents along the route and demolishing the empty houses. In response, the protesters set up the so-called "
autonomous republicsMicronations — sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects — are entities that resemble independent nations or states but which are unrecognized by world governments or major international organisations. These nations often exist only on paper, on the...
" of "Wanstonia", "Leytonstonia" and "Euphoria" in some groups of the houses, going so far as to issue passports. Extreme methods were used to force the engineers to halt demolition, including underground tunnels with protesters secured within by
concreteConcrete is a construction material composed of cement as well as other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water, and chemical admixtures...
.
The chestnut tree on George Green
One section of the M11 extension was due to tunnel under George Green in Wanstead. Residents had believed that this would save their green, and the 250-year-old
sweet chestnutCastanea sativa is a species of the flowering plant family Fagaceae, the tree and its edible seeds are referred to by several common names such Sweet Chestnut or Marron. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe...
tree that grew upon it; however, because this was a cut and cover tunnel, this would result in the demise of both. Still, until late 1993, local opposition to the M11 extension was relatively limited; while this opposition had been going for nearly 10 years, institutional avenues of protest had been exhausted, and local residents were largely resigned to the road being built.; when outside protestors arrived in September 1993, few residents saw their mission as "their campaign".
This all changed with the help of Jean, a lollipop lady in Wanstead, who upon learning of the tree's impending destruction, rallied the support of local children (and was later fired from her job for doing so while wearing her uniform), who in turn recruited their parents into the protests. It was then that the non-resident radicals realised that they had significant local support. When local residents gathered for a tree dressing ceremony on November the 6th, they found their way barred by security fencing. Together, everyone pulled down the fencing to save the tree; at this point, as one wrote, "any division between activist and resident dissolved".
Protestors continued to delay the destruction of the tree; solicitors for the campaign had even argued (successfully) in court that receipt of a letter addressed to the tree itself gave it the status of a legal
dwellingDwelling - as well as being a term for a house, or for living somewhere, or for lingering somewhere - is a philosophical concept which was developed by Martin Heidegger....
, causing a further delay. This was, of course, not to last. In the early morning of December 7 1993, several hundred police arrived to evict the tree; partly due to a successful
"wrenching"Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions...
, it took several more hours for a
cherry pickerA cherry picker , is a type of aerial work platform that consists of a platform or bucket at the end of a hydraulic lifting system....
platform to arrive at the scene. The chestnut tree was eventually evicted; an operation that took ten hours to carry out. Protestors made numerous complaints against the police; police, in turn, denied these allegations, attributing any misbehaviour to the protestors. The tree was cut down and smashed up, the Tolkien-esque nature of its destruction not being lost on one commentator. The protesters' efforts, however, were not completely wasted; media attention mushroomed after the event, with several daily newspapers putting pictures of the tree on their front pages.
Claremont Road
By 1994, the resources of the government began to win out over the protesters, and only one small street, Claremont Road, was yet to be evicted. The street was almost completely occupied by protestors; there was but one original resident living on the street who had defied the Department of Transport's order to move — 92-year old Dolly Watson, who was born in number 32 on Claremont Road and had lived there nearly all her life. By all accounts she had quite endeared herself to the anti-road protestors (who named a watchtower, built 100 feet high from scaffold poles, after her); she, in turn, had some kind words for the protestors:
A vibrant and surprisingly harmonious community sprung up on the Road; one which, by one account, won even the begrudging respect of the authorities. The houses were painted with extravagant designs, both internally and externally, and sculptures erected in the road; the road became an artistic spectacle that one said "had to be seen to be believed". Rave parties were held and bands performed on stages set up in the street.
Freak Quency Generator sound systemSound system may refer to:*sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience*sound system , a group of DJs contributing and working together as one...
was one of the regulars.
In November 1994 the eviction of Claremont Road took place, bringing an end to the M11 link road resistance as a major physical protest. Several hundred police and
bailiffA bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
s carried out the eviction over several days; the street was razed to the ground immediately afterwards. In the end, the cost to the taxpayer was over a million
poundsThe pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
in police costs alone.
Towards the end
Following the Claremont Road eviction things died down for a little while. Many of the non-resident protesters moved on to places such as
NewburyThe Newbury bypass, officially known as 'The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road ', is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England...
, where other roads protests were taking place, while locals debated what to do. A house on Fillebrook Road, near
Leytonstone tube stationLeytonstone tube station is on the Central Line of the London Underground, on the boundary of Zones 3 and 4. Towards London the next station is Leyton, while going east from Leytonstone, the line divides into two branches...
, was the only house left standing once that street had been knocked down. It was a listed building, and permission had not yet been granted for its demolition, and due to a security blunder it had been left empty. The house was thus occupied and renamed
Munstonia (after
The MunstersThe Munsters is a 1960s American television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. The show was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era, such as Leave It to Beaver. It ran concurrently with the The Addams Family. Although the...
, thanks to its spooky appearance), and the protest was back on.
A tower was built out of the roof, similar to one which had existed at Claremont Road, and the usual system of defences and blockades were built, and a core of around thirty protesters ensured that there were always people staying there (a legal requirement for a squatted home, as well as a defence against eviction).
Munstonia was finally evicted in June 1995; the eviction itself became the longest ever eviction of any single building in Europe, taking over eight hours to remove all the protesters from the roof and the tower. As usual many were locked into concrete blocks or chained to the tower itself. As at Claremont Road, the building was immediately demolished. Once again the press declared this "The End Of The Road", and for the most part it was. A camp, christened
Greenmania, was established on the fringes of
Wanstead FlatsWanstead Flats is the southern-most portion of Epping Forest in east London. It is surrounded by the heavily built-up areas of Leytonstone to the west, Wanstead to the north with Manor Park and Forest Gate to the southeast and south respectively. To the north-west it is connected by way of Bush...
, by the Green Man roundabout in Leytonstone. This lasted a few months, being eventually evicted in September 1995.
Construction of the road, already under way by this stage, was then free to continue largely unhindered, although systematic
sabotageSabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions...
of building sites by local people continued. It was completed in 1999 and given the designation A12; its continuation, the former A102(M), was also given this number as far as the
Blackwall TunnelThe Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the London Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road...
. The official opening of the road took place without fanfare, in marked contrast to the celebrity extravaganzas previously commonplace at the opening of new roads.
Consequences of the protest campaign
The M11 link road protest was ultimately unsuccessful in its major aim: to stop the building of the M11 link road. However,
direct actionDirect action is politically motivated activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political goals outside of normal social/political channels. Direct action can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the...
techniques first employed or refined at the protest have been transferred to numerous other protests around the world. Many veterans of the anti-M11 link road campaign went on to protest the construction of other road schemes such as the A34
Newbury bypassThe Newbury bypass, officially known as 'The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road ', is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England...
at
NewburyNewbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings...
in
BerkshireBerkshire is a county in the South East of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and Letters...
; campaigns such as these helped to shift public opinion in the UK away from the unfettered building of new roads. In the years after the campaign, the
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
administration shelved the plans for a number of proposed road schemes, and it is only since the turn of the 21st century that the current Labour Government is beginning once more to plan an increase in major road network upgrades.
Many ex-M11 protesters went on to join other pro-environment, anti-globalisation and direct action campaigns, such as
Reclaim the StreetsReclaim the Streets is a collective with a shared ideal of community ownership of public spaces. Participants characterize the collective as a resistance movement opposed to the dominance of corporate forces in globalisation, and to the car as the dominant mode of transport.-Protests:Reclaim the...
. In the words of one former Claremont Road protestor, other ex residents of the Claremont Road protest site went on to join the ranks of Londons' homeless as they had nowhere else to go after the eviction of the street. Like so many other veterans of other anti-road protest camps such as Newbury.
Several of the protestors who were imprisoned for refusing to be bound over to keep the Queen’s Peace, challenged the UK Government’s
Breach of the PeaceBreach of the peace is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries, and in a wider public order sense in Britain.-Constitutional law:...
legislation at the
European Court of JusticeThe European Court of Justice , is the highest court in the European Union in matters of European Union law. It is tasked with interpreting EU law and ensuring its equal application across all EU member states. The Court was established in 1952 and is based in Luxembourg...
.
In 2002 in response to a major new road building program and expansion of aviation a delegation of road protest veterans visited the Department for Transport to warn of renewed direct action in response, delivering a D Lock as a symbol of the past protests. and Rebecca went on to founded Road Block to support road protesters and challenge the government. In 2007 Road Block became a project within the Campaign for Better Transport
As such, the after-effects of the M11 link road protests are still being felt today.
For Leytonstone the consequences were mixed. Supporters say the road helped end the years of planning blight that had affected Leytonstone, although critics would suggest that the economic upswing and housing boom would have had the same effect. The road is still unpopular with many local people, and divides the communities of Leyton and Leytonstone in half. Many residents have complained that, as a consequence of the road opening, their streets had become rat-runs for commuters trying to get ahead of queues, or who haven't received the compensation they were promised (or believe they deserve). On the other hand, according to a local council report, since the opening of the road there has been a significant reduction in
trafficTraffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
and
air pollutionAir pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural environment, into the atmosphere....
in key roads in the Leytonstone area. And at least one aim of the road was achieved: it is now much quicker for non-residents to get through East London by car.
See also
- Environmental direct action in the United Kingdom
The environmental direct action movement in the United Kingdom started in 1990 with the forming of the first UK Earth First! group. The movement rapidly grew to include road protest camps, airport camps, anti-GMO actions, electricity generators, and quarry actions.-History:The Earth First! movement...
- Reclaim the Streets
Reclaim the Streets is a collective with a shared ideal of community ownership of public spaces. Participants characterize the collective as a resistance movement opposed to the dominance of corporate forces in globalisation, and to the car as the dominant mode of transport.-Protests:Reclaim the...
- Road protest (UK)
Road protest in the United Kingdom usually occurs as a reaction to a stated intention by the empowered authorities to build a new road, or to modify an existing road. Protests may also be made by those wishing to see new roads built or improvements made to existing roads. Motivations for protests...
- SchNEWS
SchNEWS is a free weekly publication from Brighton, England, which has been running since November 1994. The main focus is environmental and social issues/struggles in the UK – but also internationally – with an emphasis on direct action protest, and autonomous political struggles...
- DIY culture
DIY culture is a broad term that refers to a wide range of elements in non-mainstream society, such as grassroots political and social activism, independent music, art, and film.-History of DIY culture in UK:...
- World Carfree Network
The World Carfree Network is an international network that coordinates the actions of car-free advocates from around the world. It is the main hub of the global car-free movement. World Carfree Network brings together roughly 90 member organisations and many more individuals dedicated to promoting...
- 491 Gallery
The 491 Gallery is a squatted social centre in Leytonstone, East London, England. The gallery takes its name from its street number, 491 Grove Green Road. Formerly a factory, it is now home to a community-led art organisation and serves as a constant exhibition space for a diverse range of artists...
- a squatted social centre in Leytonstone in a building that escaped demolition
Literature
- Aufheben
Aufheben is a German word with several seemingly contradictory meanings, including "to lift up," "to abolish," or "to sublate." The term has also been defined as "abolish," "preserve," and "transcend."...
, The Politics of Anti-Road Struggle and the Struggles of Anti-Road Politics: The Case of the No M11 Link Road Campaign. In DIY Culture, ed. George McKay. 100-28. London: Verso, 1998.
- Andy Letcher, The Scouring of the Shire: Fairies, Trolls and Pixies in Eco-Protest Culture (2001) http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2386/is_2_112/ai_79548469/pg_1
External links
showing the location of the M11 link road, now called Eastway (A12)