The general election is your chance to ask your prospective candidates questions and ensure they understand that protecting the whole of Stonehenge World Heritage Site is important to you.

[The following two questions will be reviewed when manifestos and list of all candidates have been published].

1: Protection of UK World Heritage Sites

Unlike Australia, which has legislation to protect its World Heritage Sites, our World Heritage Sites are vulnerable to development such as the road scheme at Stonehenge because they are not fully protected in planning law.

Do you think that World Heritage Sites in the UK should have the same legal status as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks to ensure their protection from inappropriate development?

Newbury bypass in construction 20 years ago. An example of a dual carriageway that did not deliver hoped-for benefits. http://www.bbowt.org.uk/blog/bbowtblog/2016/04/01/newbury-bypass-20-years-road-environmental-ruin-or-recovery

2: Stonehenge road scheme

Stonehenge World Heritage Site is at risk of permanent damage from a short tunnel and 4-lane highway, contrary to the World Heritage Convention. Yet studies repeatedly show that road widening does not bring about hoped-for benefits.*

If elected, will you object to the Government’s plan to widen the A303 by Stonehenge as part of an Expressway to the South West?

* New roads increase traffic, damage special places, and lead to little or no economic regeneration says The End of the road? Challenging the road-building consensus – review of road schemes by CPRE, April 2017

Road widening increases traffic and more car based development.