UPDATE 24 February 2022: SUBMISSIONS BY NATIONAL HIGHWAYS AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT’S CONSULTATION ON THESE SHOULD BE VIEWED ON THE PLANNING INSPECTORATE’S SITE HERE 

The Transport Secretary’s decision to proceed with the A303 Stonehenge road widening scheme was roundly quashed by the High court last July.  Instead of appealing the judgment Grant Shapps has decided to go down the route of ‘redetermination’ of the scheme. 

His Statement of Matters issued on 30 November 2021 has been responded to by the Applicant, National Highways, (see bullet points in Paragraph 2).   Consultation with Interested  Parties has not been invited but is promised in due course.

National Highways’ submission is in the form of a series of separate replies published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website here.  It met Shapps’ deadline of 11 January 2022 but the response on the environment is incomplete as noted by NH to the Department for Transport here:

“The Applicant notes that the response to Bullet Point Four of paragraph 2 of the Statement of Matters, accompanying this letter, references a number of technical reports that have been undertaken by the Applicant to provide an updated understanding of the baseline environment in which the Scheme is proposed to be constructed and operated . . . it is the Applicant’s intention to submit these reports . . . within a few weeks and will confirm the proposed date of submission as soon as possible after the date of this letter.”

National Highways responses have been linked here for ease of reference:

• Cover letter from National Highways – 1.0 letter from Stonehenge Project Director to Department for Transport 
• Response to Bullet Point One – 1.1 – Alternatives
• Response to Bullet Point Two – 1.2 – Policy
• Response to Bullet Point Three – 1.3 – Carbon
• Response to Bullet Point Four – 1.4 – Environmental Information Review [Incomplete, see above] 
• Response to Bullet Point Four – 1.4.1 – Environmental Information Review Appendix: Transport Assessment Review
• Response to Bullet Point Five – 1.5 Any Other Matters

List of Acronyms

AADT – Annual Average Daily Traffic
COBA-LT – Costs and Benefits to Accidents – Light Touch
DMRB – Design Manual for Roads and Bridges
DCO – Development Consent Order
EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment
NPFF – National Planning Policy Framework
OBC – Outline Business Case
OEMP – Outline Environmental Management Plan
PIA – Personal Injury Accident
RTF – Road Traffic Forecasts
SoS – Secretary of State’s
SoCG – Statement of Common Ground
SoM – Statement of Matters
TA – Transport Assessment
TPG – Transport Planning Group
V/C – Volume over Capacity