Legal avenues remain available for people to challenge the work, which was approved despite warnings that it would cause “permanent and irreversible damage.”
Plans to build a road tunnel near Stonehenge have been approved, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) to build the tunnel near the English Heritage site in Wiltshire.
However, legal avenues remain available for people to challenge the decision.
Former Secretary of Transportation Grant Shapps gave the green light to the project in November 2020 – despite warnings from Planning Inspectorate officials that it would cause “permanent and irreversible damage”.
in 2021 activists won a battle in the High Court in a bid to stop the controversial A303 road project, which would see a two-mile (3.3 km) tunnel through the world-famous landmark.
Save stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS) has challenged Mr Shapps’ decision to back the £1.7bn plan to refit eight miles (13km) of the A303.
But on Friday, July 14, the DfT published a letter confirming that the project had been given the green light.
Plans include the construction of a new two-lane dual carriageway for the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down.
The road is part of a key route connecting the south-west with London, which has been plagued by “serious congestion problems” for more than 30 years, the DfT said.
“It is the first section of a single carriageway when traveling west from London and, at peak times, traffic levels can double the design flow capacity,” the 64-page report states.
“The Secretary of State considers it important that a reliable and seamless connection between the Southeast and the Southwest also contributes to the goal of enabling job growth, including tourism and housing.”
Summer Solstice at Stonehenge
The works will also allow visitors to Stonehenge “to view the stone circle without the visual and auditory distraction of road traffic,” the DfT said.
Mr. Harper is “satisfied” that the “damage to the spatial and visual relationships and environments of the project is less than substantial and must be weighed against the public benefits,” the report concluded.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said the debate over how to reduce traffic around Stonehenge has raged since 1991.
Thousands of people gathered at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, on June 21, 2023.
“This saga is starting to feel almost as old as the stones themselves, and it’s not over yet,” he said, warning that those against the project will already be considering another legal challenge.
“In addition to the risk of further delays, the next hurdle for the project is obtaining the necessary funding to continue, despite the financial constraints of the DfT budget.
“While A303 users can be encouraged by today’s decision, it looks like they will still be able to enjoy the current view of the stones from the road for quite some time.”