How the battle of Claremont Road changed the world: ‘The whole of alternative London turned up’

Thirty years ago, more than 500 activists united to save a street – and their actions marked a major turning-point in the environmental movement

A black and white photograph shows a crowded street scene with Victorian terraced houses decorated with painted murals and designs. Large crowds of protesters gather below while many people are visible on the rooftops of the buildings. A fire engine ladder extends toward the houses, likely part of demolition or eviction efforts. — Protesters took to the rooftops to stop the demolition of houses in Claremont Road.

Thirty years ago, in November 1994, 700 police officers and bailiffs in riot gear marched into Claremont Road in east London and waged battle against about 500 activists, who were dug in – some of them literally – against efforts to evict them. The activists occupied rooftop towers, treehouses, underground bunkers and even secret tunnels. It took three days to get them all out.

The "Battle of Claremont Road" was fought against the construction of the six-lane A12, also known as the M11 link road. The road had been planned since the 1960s as part of the Conservative government's determination to carry out "the biggest road-building programme since the Romans". By 1994, Claremont Road was the last street standing after the Department for Transport had begun repossessing and demolishing houses along the route.

The protesters included unemployed activists, PhD students, journalists, and aspiring photographers. Campaigner Camilla Berens recalls: "I think the whole of alternative London turned up." The street became a countercultural attraction with colourful murals, outdoor sculptures, and a public cafe.

As the showdown approached, protesters built elaborate defences: Dolly, a scaffolding structure 30 metres high; treehouses connected by webs of netting and walkways; roadblocks made of cars and shopping trolleys filled with concrete; and underground bunkers described by one activist as "very elaborate womb-like structures". They knocked together upper floors to create a rat run and built a tunnel out of oil drums running underneath back gardens.

A white car sits in a street with numerous long poles or pipes protruding through it in various directions, creating a spiky, star-like obstruction. The vehicle appears deliberately positioned as a roadblock, with colorful graffiti-covered buildings and overgrown vegetation visible in the background, creating a scene of urban protest infrastructure. — An old car with poles stuck through it in all directions is used to block Claremont Road.

The callout came on 27 November. The next morning, an estimated 500 protesters were ready across rooftops, bunkers, treehouses, nets, and walkways. When police arrived in what one participant described as "stormtrooper gear with batons raised", they found activists had drilled holes into the asphalt with lock-on bolts, lying down with their arms through holes and locking their wrists with handcuffs.

The protesters maintained a strong commitment to non-violence. Police spent more than £1m on the eviction, using mechanical diggers, cherrypickers, and metal detectors to find the secret tunnel.

Though the road was built, the protest turned the roads programme into a political issue and paved the way for subsequent campaigns such as Reclaim the Streets, Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil.

The image shows a tense confrontation scene with riot police in white helmets facing protesters in an urban setting. Above, there's visible webbing or netting stretched across buildings. A person in red clothing appears to be positioned on or near a structure, while crowds of people gather below amid what appears to be a protest situation. — Activists built webbing up on the rooftops to evade police.