The British government’s Department for Transport announced at the end of July 2005 that the estimated cost of the Stonehenge tunnel scheme has now risen to approximately 500 million pounds (getting on for 900 million US dollars)… and is still rising! That whopping figure makes it almost inconceivable that the tunnel scheme will now go ahead.

In the light of that announcement, plans for a new 57 million pound (100 million US dollar) visitor centre were also turned down. However, the plans are likely to be resubmitted soon.

Together, the tunnel highway scheme and the visitor centre plan are known as The Stonehenge Project. They have been championed enthusiastically by the Department for Transport’s Highways Agency (the UK government department charged with building and maintaining highways) and English Heritage (the UK government department supposedly responsible for protecting such historical places as Stonehenge).

No-one else is supporting the Stonehenge Project with any enthusiasm; the whole plan is rapidly unravelling.

So what now?

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2. Stonehenge - the road ahead?

In the light of this confusion, the Highways Agency announced five new options for Stonehenge at the end of January 2006. On closer inspection, these are four old options that have previously been rejected, plus a minor tweaking of the existing road that would increase traffic pressure for a new road through the World Heritage Site at some point in the future.

Briefly, the “new” options are:

a) The current tunnel scheme - way out of contention now because of its high, 500 million pound cost. But many groups (including Save Stonehenge!) opposed it anyway because of its destructive impact on the overall World Heritage Site.

b and c) Highways to either the north or the south of the stone circle, but passing mostly at surface level across the World Heritage Site. Universally opposed because they would be incredibly intrusive into the peace of the Stonehenge landscape. There was worldwide press coverage — from India to Australia — when the British bird conservation organization, RSPB, revealed that two of the DfT’s old/new options would destroy nesting and roosting sites of the stone curlew bird, which has only two UK strongholds. RSPB said these plans would also harm prospects for more than 25 other bird species and 14 butterfly species.

d) Cut-and-cover tunnel: This would be a crude highway gouged through the ancient landscape with a roof built on top. Most of you will remember that this was the original plan for Stonehenge until it was dropped in 2002. Lord Kennet, former British environment minister and campaigner for Stonehenge, memorably noted this option would be “Barbaric. No other country in the world would contemplate treating a site which is a world icon in such a way.” The British government itself conceded that the cut-and-cover tunnel was massively destructive when it dropped that plan in December 2002. Now it appears to be considering bringing it back!

e) A “partial solution”: This involves upgrading roundabouts on the current A303 highway at either of the World Heritage Site. There is no good reason for doing this; it will simply increase pressure to build a highway (options a-d) through the World Heritage Site at some point in the future.

Twelve groups representing environmental, archaeological, and transport interests damned the new proposals within hours of their announcement (The National Trust, CPRE, RSPB, Friends of the Earth, ICOMOS-UK, Council for British Archaeology, Rescue - British Archaeological Trust, Pagan Federation UK, Stonehenge Alliance, Save Stonehenge, Ancient Sacred Landscapes Network, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural Heritage Society).

Mike Birkin of Friends of the Earth UK summed up the reactions of Stonehenge campaigners: “The choices on the table are not new and they are still not acceptable. The choice seems to be between damaging this valuable World Heritage Site now or damaging it later.”

For more information about what the 12 groups said, see:
http://www.savestonehenge.org.uk/ssnr240106.html

Since then, questions asked in the British Parliament by Salisbury MP (and former roads minister) Robert Key reveal that, between them, the Highways Agency and English Heritage have squandered a scandalous 23 million pounds of taxpayers’ money on their “Stonehenge Project” since 2000 — with absolutely no visible progress and no public benefit.

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If you want to complain to these proposals then do the following:-

Please write a letter of opposition, stating that none of the above options is acceptable!

Please send your oppositions by ***24 APRIL 2006*** to:

The Stonehenge Project
Highways Agency Zone 2/26-H
Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
BRISTOL
BS1 6HA
UK

…Finally those of you who read this blog regularly may wonder why I am so bothered about something like this? Well, if you’re curious then read the first poem I ever published here >>

Stonehenge

Within the stone circle I do sit.
Ancient harmonies surround my soul
Of forgotten warriors and sages grown old
The deeds of men who have gone before
filling these stones with knowledge and lore
My mind is calm as I reach within.
To focus on where I begin:
This is a place of great respect
Where man and beast can both reflect.
On life’s long journey through this age
Helping each to turn the page,
In so doing this place becomes:
A doorway, a window and a bridge,
A focus of energy, A point of light,
Such that now doth enter my sight.
This was Merlin’s philosophy
Engrained in each stone;
The story of what was,
The story of what will be.
Just open your eyes and you will see.