2021_GROVE HEATHROW


Avocado + Apples + Landfill


Based in the contested territory of Heathrow Airport’s proposed 3rd runway expansion, Grove Heathrow sets itself in-between the two affected towns Harmondsworth and Sipson. The site is a former historic landfill site that the project proposes to excavate and fill the quarry terrain with a series of community apple orchards, experimental avocado greenhouses and an Ecovillage typology consisting of passive Earthship homes. Together these work towards making the area more productive and engaging for the local communities, whilst also restoring the natural environment and encouraging biodiversity within the Greenbelt region.

This new Eco-community expands on the existing Grow Heathrow non-profit activist group that is already set within the area, giving them the opportunity to grow further, work with the local towns and continue to protect the surrounding environment. With the increased reliance of importing food and the growing popularity of avocados within modern diets, large quantities of the fruit are being imported to the UK and they have one of highest Carbon Footprints of imported fruit and vegetables. It is important to think about how food mileages affect our economy and the global climate crisis, so we need to think of new ways that the UK can be more self-sufficient.