Unesco’s report on the A303 Stonehenge tunnel concludes that National Highways’ plans for the ‘Western Portal and Approaches’ should not proceed ‘without substantial amendment’.
image: Stonehenge – image: By Sumit Surai – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82300627
… an unacceptable and inappropriate adverse impact on….the physical and visual integrity of the WHS…
Unesco writes (p. 7 ) :
The Western Portal and Approaches: The Scheme provides an important one-off opportunity for rehabilitation of the existing intrusive A303, which should be taken to the fullest extent that is reasonably practicable.
The proposed western portal and associated dual carriageway, within a cutting, would have an unacceptable and inappropriate adverse impact on the setting of the Winterbourne Stoke Barrow Group and the physical and visual integrity of the WHS and the Scheme should not proceed without substantial amendment to avoid this impact.
Read more and view the Final Report….
National Highways writes:
A UNESCO report has been submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport to be considered as part of the process to look again at our Development Consent Order application. The report contains the findings of an UNESCO Advisory Mission visit to Stonehenge in April.
The full report has been published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
Although the western portal approach remains an area for further discussion, UNESCO recognises the exemplary collaborative work carried out in the development of this scheme, which will have many benefits, including returning Stonehenge to something like its original setting.
We have taken a lot of care to get to this point. UNESCO is pleased with all the work undertaken since their last visit in 2018 and particularly praised the work of our independent Scientific Committee, which has been key to ensuring experts guide our development at every stage.
We will continue to work with our Heritage Monitoring Advisory Group and experts within the Scientific Committee to ensure the scheme is delivered with heritage at the heart of every decision made.
Ground Engineering writes:
…The Unesco report was submitted to transport secretary Grant Shapps as part of the process for a development consent order (DCO) re-application for the scheme to upgrade the A303. National Highways’ first DCO was quashed in court last year.
The current proposal involves the construction of a new 12.8km two-lane dual carriageway, with a 3.2km tunnel…
… National Highways has claimed that a bored tunnel extension would cost £340M more to build.
The secretary of state has invited comments from National Highways on the Unesco report; it has until 9 September to respond.
