New Stonehenge plan is "Trojan Horse" for 4-lane motorway

NEWS RELEASE: 05 JUNE 2003: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A new plan to double the width of the A303 road through the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, announced on 5 June by the Highways Agency [1], has been slammed by pressure group Save Stonehenge [2].

The plan is described as an attempt to "return the historic World Heritage Site to its prehistoric setting and provide visitors with an experience such a monument deserves" [1]. But Save Stonehenge argues that the main purpose of the scheme is to build a four-lane motorway through one of the world's most important heritage sites for reasons that have nothing to do with heritage or the environment.

A spokesman for Save Stonehenge, said:

"This road is a Trojan horse. They claim to be building it for the benefit of Stonehenge. Nothing could be further from the truth: it is part of a wider plan to create a massive new M303 motorway, by stealth, from London to the West Country.

Speaking about the Highways Agency�s launch of the plans as an opportunity to "have your say", he continued:

"Just like controversial roads of the past -- Twyford Down and the Newbury bypass -- this road will be bulldozed through Stonehenge with no thought for public opposition. But the pretence of public consultation could backfire badly. If the Highways Agency thinks three days of tea and biscuits in an Amesbury hotel will deter three years of protest when the bulldozers start rolling, they�ve got another think coming."

Commenting on glossy photographs that seem to show a restored landscape around Stonehenge, he said:

"What these photos don�t show is the effect beyond the central zone of the tunnel where four new lanes of concrete and tarmac will be crudely bulldozed through the World Heritage Site. So much for restoring Stonehenge. What this plan really does is turn it into a traffic island with two dual new carriageways at both ends."

Contacts:

Email: press@savestonehenge.org.uk

Notes to editors:

1. A303 STONEHENGE IMPROVEMENT: HAVE YOUR SAY ON DETAILED PLANS, Highways Agency News Release 500/SWW/03, 29 May 2003, reissued 5 June 2003. http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/press_releases/a303/2003_05_29.htm
2. Save Stonehenge has over 1000 supporters from all around the world. Its website http://www.savestonehenge.org.uk/, which has been running since 1999, is a comprehensive source of information about the long-running saga of the Stonehenge plan.
3. The National Trust owns most of the land around Stonehenge. See NATIONAL TRUST CALLS FOR A LONGER BORED TUNNEL FOR STONEHENGE, National Trust, press release, 3 October 2002.
4. UNESCO's adviser, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-UK), announced that it opposed Highways Agency plans for a short tunnel in September 2002: "We do not support any of the 2.1 kilometre options.� the shorter length fails to deliver what, in our view, are substantial enough cultural and social benefits.". From "Stonehenge Road Proposals: ICOMOS-UK Position Statement", September 2002. See http://www.savestonehenge.org.uk/icomos.html for full text.