What are we campaigning for?

The Stonehenge Alliance campaigns to protect the Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS) from further damage.  We warmly welcome the Government’s scrapping of its damaging proposal to widen the A303 trunk road where it crosses the iconic WHS.  BUT the road scheme was cancelled on grounds of affordability.  What if the scheme were to become affordable in years to come?  Until the WHS is properly protected under UK planning law it is not secure from further damage.

The world heritage at Stonehenge transcends any consideration of sorting out a 21st century part-time traffic jam.

What do specialists, like the distinguished archaeologist Professor Mike Parker Pearson, think of this plan? Watch 1 minute video.

WHY WERE WE / ARE WE AGAINST THE A303 STONEHENGE ROAD SCHEME?

 For a start, the tunnel is too short and its infrastructure too vast and intrusive to protect the World Heritage Site.

Where the A303 crosses the WHS it is about 5.4 km across, whereas the Government proposes a short 3.3km tunnel past the stone monument only. Click on the map to enlarge.

There’s a traffic problem across the World Heritage Site (WHS), especially at week ends and holiday time.  But the Government’s road widening scheme is the wrong solution and belongs to a previous century.  If the road scheme were to go ahead it would spectacularly fail the integrity of the WHS.  SLIDES, MAPS, IMAGES & PLANS

⇓ BELOW ARE 10 MORE SOUND REASONS FOR CANCELLING THE ROAD SCHEME PERMANENTLY ⇓

1. LOSS OF WORLD HERITAGE

Stonehenge, together with Avebury and their surrounding landscapes, were designated a World Heritage Site in 1986 because of their unique Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments and sites dating back some 6,000 years. The famous Stonehenge monument stands at the heart of, and inseparable from, an expanse of chalkland remarkable for its evidence of our distant ancestors: their homes and living spaces, farming, working and ceremonial practices. It is described by UNESCO as a “landscape without parallel”.

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2. LANDSCAPE DESECRATED

Stonehenge is more than a stone monument.  The whole Stonehenge landscape makes up a huge ancient complex that holds many secrets yet to be discovered.  Far from ‘conserving and enhancing’ the WHS, as has been regularly claimed by the scheme promoters, the infrastructure would leave a far larger blot on the landscape than exists at present.

The Planning Inspectors recommended against the proposal saying that the scheme would introduce

“a greater physical change to the Stonehenge landscape than has occurred in its 6,000 years as a place of widely acknowledged human significance.” Extract from the Examining Authority’s report #5.7.225

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3. ARCHAEOLOGY AT RISK

Stonehenge is not just a landscape with a unique stone circle but a landscape packed with “not just hundreds but thousands, in fact millions of archaeological artefacts and other remains.” Only a limited amount will be recovered and recorded.  And there is so much more to be discovered.  The damage to the archaeological landscape caused by the road scheme would be permanent and irreversible.  READ MORE >

4. STRATEGIC TRANSPORT DISBENEFITS

National Highways identified 8 areas for improvement along the A303/A358 road corridor to tackle notorious traffic hotspots.  To realise the Stonehenge scheme’s strategic benefits all 8 schemes must be completed. Only 3 schemes have been funded, and one of these has been withdrawn.  The Stonehenge section will simply move you to the next traffic jam a few minutes faster.  READ MORE >

5. WEAK BUSINESS CASE

The economic case has been much exaggerated.   When the economic case was first presented to the Examiners it was deemed ‘low’ after the (nearly £1bn) heritage valuation was added.  The ‘low’ value will have been reduced, or indeed disappeared, now that the heritage has been severely criticised by the Examiners and UNESCO.  Oddly, National Highways’ latest calculations show an increase in value. which does not strike us as credible especially since the scheme failed the Examiners’ inspection on grounds of heritage.   At today’s prices the cost would be at least £2.5bn and the scheme no longer adds up, if, indeed, it ever did.  READ MORE>

6. CARBON GENERATED FROM ROAD BUILDING AND TRAFFIC

National Highways admit the scheme would increase carbon emissions by 2.5 million tonnes over its lifetime just when we need to rapidly reduce emissions.  Carbon values are increasing and would affect the scheme’s precarious business case.  These concerns were dismissed by National Highways.   READ MORE >

7. ALTERNATIVES DISMISSSED, SIDELINED OR IGNORED

Failure to consider alternatives was a key factor in the quashing of the A303 Stonehenge scheme in 2021.  Yet there has been no attempt to produce alternatives even though the Secretary of State found the heritage impact to be “significantly adverse”.  A package of alternatives and a trusted process is needed urgently.  READ MORE >

8. LOSS OF AN UPLIFTING VIEW

The scheme would result in the loss of an inspiring view of the ancient stones.  The view of Stonehenge from the A303, free to the passing public whether on foot, horse, cycle or in a motor vehicle, has been a touchstone for countless generations and is – in part – responsible for Stonehenge’s position as one of the most recognised ancient monuments in the world.  READ MORE >

9. NEGATIVE IMPACT ON WILDLIFE AND HABITAT

The Stonehenge chalk landscape SPA and River Avon SAC are home to some of the country’s most important habitats and species.   The construction of the road scheme threatens, inter alia, the nesting sites and foraging areas of Schedule 1 bird species: the Stone Curlews and Great Bustards.  Construction of the road scheme would adversely affect the integrity of the SPA.  Here are our specialists’ comments on the adverse impacts on biodiversity: 

  1. Stone Curlew and Great Bustard (2019), 
  2. Butterflies and Great Crested Newts (section 4) (2022), and
  3. Objection to replacement plot for Stone Curlew on Parsonage Down NNR (2024).

10. DECISION-MAKING UNLAWFUL

We believe the decision in July 2023 by Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, to approve the same scheme that had been quashed in 2021, to be unlawful.   The case last December was unsuccessful, but this has been challenged in the Court of Appeal.  We await the Court’s decision. READ MORE >

Please note: The Stonehenge Alliance has no connection with any other protest groups involved in direct action against A303 Stonehenge.

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