Government gives green light for Stonehenge road tunnel

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the project on the A303 in Wiltshire.

A DCO previously issued for the £1.7 billion National Highways scheme was quashed by the High Court in July 2021 amid concern about the environmental impact on the Unesco World Heritage Site.

The plans involve overhauling eight miles of the A303, including digging a two-mile tunnel.

Then-transport secretary Grant Shapps gave the go-ahead to the project in November 2020 despite advice from Planning Inspectorate officials it would cause “permanent, irreversible harm” to the area.

The Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site alliance successfully challenged his decision in the High Court.

In a 64-page letter published on the Planning Inspectorate website granting fresh approval, the DfT said Mr Harper is “satisfied” that the project’s “harm on spatial, visual relations and settings is less than substantial and should be weighed against the public benefits”.

The A303 is a congestion hotspot, with drivers heading to and from the South West during peak holiday periods often stuck in long queues.

National Highways chief executive Nick Harris said: “The A303 Stonehenge scheme is part of the biggest investment in our road network for a generation, and I’m really pleased the project has been given the green light by the Secretary of State for Transport – a decision which will enable us to progress this transformational scheme and deliver the planned benefits.

“The decision follows a lot of work on a comprehensive year-long process to reassess our Development Consent Order, looking in detail at possible alternatives, also including cumulative carbon and heritage issues.

“It means we’re now a step closer to solving the longstanding issues of congestion and delays on the existing A303, improving journeys for all our customers and bringing much-needed relief to local communities.

“The investment, along with other improvements along the A303, will help to boost the South West economy, improve journey reliability, remove the sight and sound of traffic from this very busy road and return one of our most important World Heritage Sites to something like its original setting.”

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “This saga is starting to feel almost as old as the stones themselves and it’s not over yet.

“The likelihood must be that objectors will already be poring over the Secretary of State’s lengthy and detailed decision letter looking for grounds on which to launch another legal challenge.

“Quite apart from the risk of further legal delays, the next hurdle for the project is getting the funding in place to proceed, despite the economic squeeze on the Department for Transport’s budget.”

AA president Edmund King said: “Whether we like it or not, Stonehenge has been a transport congestion hot spot for more than 30 years.

“This is good news that progress is slowly being made to alleviate the chaos.”

Dr Kate Fielden, an archaeologist and honorary secretary to the Stonehenge Alliance, described the decision as “deeply disappointing” as the scheme will cause “severe, irreparable damage to one of the world’s premier World Heritage Sites”.

She told the PA news agency: “There’s not only the tunnel. To each side there will be wide and deep cuttings through the landscape, effectively destroying the archaeology and in the process creating a massive monument to the future which dwarfs anything in the World Heritage Site that’s there at the moment, including the Stonehenge monument itself.

“It’s a colossal intervention.”

She said campaigners opposed to the scheme are considering launching another legal challenge.

Rebecca Lush, of Transport Action Network (Tan), which supports sustainable transport campaigns, said: “Just as the Climate Change Committee has recommended that new roads should be reviewed, Mark Harper seems to be in denial by giving the go-ahead to the Stonehenge dual carriageway through the World Heritage Site.

“National Highways admit the scheme would increase carbon emissions by 2.5 million tonnes over its lifetime at a time when we need to rapidly reduce emissions.

“This decision flies in the face of the evidence on climate change and the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee, and will devastate the World Heritage Site.”