Stonehenge road tunnel

The Stonehenge road tunnel was a controversial tunnel in Wiltshire, England proposed by the Highways Agency to upgrade the A303 road. It would have moved the A303 into a tunnel under the Stonehenge World Heritage Site and close the A344 road. [cite web |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/8311.aspx |title=Reasons for Review |publisher=Highways Agency |accessdate=2007-04-08] The project was designed to improve the landscape around the monument and to improve safety on the primary A303cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3659.aspx |title=A303 Stonehenge |publisher=Highways Agency |accessdate=2007-04-08] and was part of proposals to change the site in other ways including moving the visitors centre.

Background

The A303 is one of the main routes from London to the South West of England. Sections have been upgraded to dual carriageway status, though sections of the route remain single carriageway. Traffic flows on the A303 between Amesbury and Winterbourne Stoke (the section including Stonehenge) are above the capacity of the road [cite web |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/6382.aspx |title=A303 Stonehenge (incorporating the Winterbourne Stoke Bypass) Preferred Route Announcement June 1999 — Why a road improvement is proposed |publisher=Highways Agency |accessdate=2007-04-08] and the Highways Agency expressed concern about safety on this road and the A344. The two roads currently pass through Stonehenge and land owned by the National Trustcite web |url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/network/strategic/programme/decisionletters/coll_reportofthelocalinquiryinto/reportofthelocalinquiryintot3987 |title=Report to the First Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for Transport |pages=p8 s2.9 |date=2005-01-31 |format=PDF |accessdate=2007-07-08] with the A303 passing directly south and the A344 directly to the north with a pedestrian tunnel passing from the Stonehenge visitor centre to the site underneath this road. As part of the development of the proposals, over 50 routes were considered by the Highways Agency. [cite web |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/6381.aspx |title=A303 Stonehenge (incorporating the Winterbourne Stoke Bypass) Preferred Route Announcement June 1999 — Choice of route |publisher=Highways Agency |accessdate=2007-04-08]

Proposal

Since 1991 51 proposals have been considered for improving the A303 in the area and to remove it from the Stonehenge site. [cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org.uk/UserFiles/File/UKNC_Stonehenge_042006.pdf |title=A303 Stonehenge Improvement Scheme Review: public consultation — Response by the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO |accessdate=2007-05-17 |author=Professor Alec Boksenberg CBE FRS |date=2006-04-19 |format=PDF |publisher=UNESCO Committee for United Kingdom |pages=Page 2] In 1995 it was proposed to build a tunnel for the A303 underneath the World Heritage Site.cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/3493649.stm |title=Stonehenge tunnel inquiry opens |work=BBC News |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=2004-02-17 |accessdate=2007-04-08] A conference agreed on a 2.5 mile (4km) bored tunnel, however the government instead proposed a cut and cover tunnel, with plans being published in 1999. These plans were criticised by the National Trust, Transport 2000 and others who expressed concern that it would cause damage to archaeological remains along the route, destroy ancient sites and not achieve an improvement in the landscape. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1606053.stm |title=Stonehenge road plans 'may damage site' |work=BBC News |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=2001-10-18 |accessdate=2007-04-08] [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2299033.stm |title=Trust attacks Stonehenge tunnel |work=BBC News |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=2002-10-04 |accessdate=2007-04-08]

In 2002, new plans for a bored tunnel of 1.3 miles (2.1km) were announced by the Secretary of State for Transport as part of a 7.7 mile (12.5km) plan to upgrade the A303 to dual carriageway status, with the tunnel estimated to cost £183m. [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2562675.stm |title=Stonehenge tunnel approved |work=BBC News |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=2002-12-10 |accessdate=2007-04-08}] This proposal brought further protests from the National Trust, English Heritage, UNESCO, CPRE, the Council for British Archaeology [cite web |url=http://www.britarch.ac.uk/stonehenge/Stonehenge%20roads%20inquiry%20final%20proof.doc |title=Proof of Evidence of George Lambrick MA FSA MIFA |publisher=Council for British Archaeology |format=DOC |date=2004-01-?? |accessdate=2007-04-08] and local groups as the tunnel approach cutting would cut in two a prehistoric track way between Stonehenge and a nearby river. These groups are calling for a tunnel at least 2.9 km long, which would, while being sited within the world heritage site, clear most of the known major artefacts, claiming that if the government goes ahead with the 2.1 km tunnel there may never be another chance to remove the road from the site completely. [cite press release| | title = Maximising benefits – A more sustainable tunnel solution at Stonehenge |publisher=The National Trust | date = 3 October 200 |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/webpack/bin/webpack.exe/livebase?object=LiveBase1&itemurn=1247&mode=wbFullItem |accessdate=2007-05-17]

In 2004 a public enquiry required under the Highways Act 1980 was conducted by a planning inspector, Michael Ellison. His enquiry agreed that the government proposals were adequate.cite web |url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/network/strategic/programme/decisionletters/coll_reportofthelocalinquiryinto/reportofthelocalinquiryintot3987 |title=Report to the First Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for Transport |date=2005-01-31 |format=PDF |accessdate=2007-07-08] The report stated:

but concluded:

Review

On July 20 2005 the tunnel scheme was withdrawn by the Government, partly due to rising costs of construction, which had doubled to £470 million. [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/4699477.stm |title= Stonehenge tunnel plan cash blow |work=BBC News |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=2005-07-20 |accessdate=2007-04-08] The Highways Agency continued to list the project as planned, but gave 2008 as the earliest date for the start of construction.

On October 31 2005 a Government steering group was set up to look at possible solutions, [cite press release |title= Way Forward Announced For A303 Stonehenge Review |publisher=Government News Network |date= 2005-10-31 |url=http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=175616&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False |accessdate=2007-04-08 |quote=Stephen Ladyman, Minister of State for Transport, said: "I hope this review will enable me to decide on an option in keeping with the special requirements of the location that is affordable, realistic and deliverable."] with the aim of choosing an "option in keeping with the special requirements of the location that is affordable, realistic and deliverable." The review presented five options — the published tunnel scheme, a cut and cover tunnel, a 'partial solution' (involving a roundabout but maintaining the current road), and two overland bypass routes. [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/4694894.stm |title=Heritage site road plans revealed |work=BBC News |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=2006-02-08 |accessdate=2007-04-08] [cite web |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/documents/Stonehenge_Leaflet_web_version.pdf |title=A303 Stonehenge Improvement Scheme Review — Public Consultation |publisher=Highways Agency |format=PDF |date=2006-01 |accessdate=2007-04-08] Some of these plans have been criticised as being damaging to both archaeology and biodiversity, including the stone curlew, barn owls, bats, and the chalk grassland habitat. [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/4637656.stm |work=BBC News |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |title=Stonehenge road 'a risk to birds' |date=2006-01-23 |accessdate=2007-04-08] Five options were considered including diverting the A303 further away and only closing the A344.The group expected to produced a report in 2006, taking into account the results of public consultation which started in 23 January 2006 and ran until 24 April 2006.

Cancellation

On December 6 2007 Roads Minister Tom Harris announced that the whole scheme had been cancelled due to increased costs of £540 millions. English Heritage expressed disappointment whilst Save Stonehenge were pleased with the outcome. The Highways Agency will continue to work on small scale improvements to the A303. [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/7130666.stm |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |work=BBC News |title=Stonehenge tunnel plans scrapped |date=2007-12-06 |accessdate=2007-12-06]

References

External links

* [http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/stonehenge/index.htm Stonehenge planning enquiry website]
* [http://www.thestonehengeproject.org/ The Stonehenge Project.org]
* [http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3659.aspx Highways Agency A303 Stonehenge site]
* [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-stonehengehistoriclandscape/w-stonehengehistoriclandscape-stonehenge.htm The National Trust's proposals for Stonehenge]
* [http://www.britarch.ac.uk/stonehenge/index.html Council for British Archaeology’s Stonehenge/A303 timeline]
* [http://www.savestonehenge.org.uk/ Save Stonehenge]
* [http://www.andyworthington.co.uk 'Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion' by Andy Worthington (chapter on Stonehenge road tunnel)]