above: narita's 2nd runway, dissected due to a defiant landowner - only the north end is usable
In 1966 plans for a new airport were revealed by the japanese government, much to the annoyance of the public and especially those who owned the land upon which it was to be built. for the next 20 years a combination of regular (and sometimes fatal ) riots and defiant farmers who own land amongst the proposed runways forced developers to ditch the idea of a 3 runway airport. to this day, the middle of what was to be the 2nd runway is home to a farm and various smaller properties still sit around the terminals blocking construction of a 3rd runway. have a look around on google maps here. read more about the disputes here.
(from http://deputy-dog.com/2009/06/6-extraordinarily-stubborn-nail-houses.html)
Archipaedia- archive 