In Willits (California) a bypass is being cut through the heart of ancestral tribal lands. In Wilts (UK) another one (comprising a “short” tunnel with massive access cuttings) is being planned to cut through the heart of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. That’s not where the similarities end.
In Willits “there were delays in funding due to the downturn in the economy.” – snap in Wilts!
In Willits: “No official consultation had ever occurred” – snap in Wilts! (lots of private meetings though!)
In Willits: “nearly 30 cultural sites not documented in the first EIS have been found” Will it be snap with a nought added in Wilts?
In Willits: “officials never created a map” – snap in Wilts – or to be precise, detailed ones haven’t been shown to the public (yet they must exist – how else could English Heritage and the National Trust have decided to support the short tunnel?)
In Willits: “they started finding things they said wouldn’t be there.” Will it be snap to that too in Wilts? (A clue: “hundreds” of previously unsuspected features have recently been found at Stonehenge. “Two thousand” have recently been found on Exmoor! Thus what might be selected as the “least damaging” route might turn out to be otherwise. Would the line of the route be diverted if that happened – like it wasn’t at Tara?)
In Willits: Tribal officials say the authorities are “not properly informing and consulting with them about new sites that are disrupted or found during construction“. It remains to be seen if the hundreds of features likely to be found, disrupted or destroyed at Stonehenge are likely to be promptly reported to the British tribe (or the World one) or whether they’ll only learn what has been lost long after it has happened.
_________________________________________________________________
A synopsis of the Outstanding Universal Value of Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site can be found here. For an account of the 20-year Stonehenge roads saga and the efforts of the admirable Stonehenge Alliance and others to resist damage to the Outstanding Universal Value see here.
On 3rd December 2014 the Chancellor is likely to announce funds for a short bored tunnel (2.5km to 2.9km) as a result of confidential talks between the Department for Transport, the Highways Agency, English Heritage, the National Trust, local authorities and others. If you believe a short bored tunnel would be too short to protect the World Heritage Site please consider signing the Petition here.
21 comments
Comments feed for this article
19/11/2014 at 15:26
bi-pass
I wish they would just leave the road as it is and stop this nonsense once and for all.
19/11/2014 at 19:29
Godwin
An absolute folley promulgated by successive governments and a waste of taxpayers money as usual.
19/11/2014 at 21:40
D1PIO
The quotes about the Willits Bypass Project are out of context or misinformation propagated by a small group of residents opposed to the project. See http://willitsbypass.wordpress.com/ for more accurate information.
20/11/2014 at 01:00
owlwoman
I struggle with the financial costs of rbis v the overall benefit and the onslaught of a societal shift towards me now solutions. There is a real danger that SH becomes a defacto monument for the 5 second wow culture. Keep it special by treating it with reverence and not democracy
20/11/2014 at 02:37
heritageaction
By “misinformation” do you mean each of the statements is untrue?
20/11/2014 at 10:19
Womble
The more I look at the Willits project, the more there is than initially meets the eye. Comparing apples with pears is never a good thing to do.
20/11/2014 at 11:22
Pat
Well, Willits initially looks disturbing and may or may not be whereas the Stonehenge short tunnel initially looks disturbing and most certainly IS – and will be considered so forever no doubt!
20/11/2014 at 11:43
Steph
Keep to the Stonehenge debate please. What happens across the pond is not of interest to me
20/11/2014 at 12:16
heritageaction
“Britain, Ireland and beyond“!
20/11/2014 at 12:26
Steph
A road project with an environmental element in the USA?? Oh please…
20/11/2014 at 16:18
D1PIO
Steph, the whole point of this article is to try to draw a tenuous parallel between the two projects, and as Wolmble put it, comparing apples to pears.
20/11/2014 at 17:18
heritageaction
Whereas the whole point of YOUR comment, speaking on behalf of Caltrans, the state agency responsible for highways in California is to say what? That your project is fine (apples) and the Stonehenge one is terrible (pears)? Or is it that they’re both fine (apples and apples)? Do tell!
We’ll even make room for you to run an article on the Journal explaining exactly
how the two projects differ.
OK? Yes or no?
20/11/2014 at 17:38
Womble
Here is my take on matters. The journal seems to be struggling for articles and no, I am not writing any. I don’t buy a magazine and expect to have to write it. What seems to be happening are articles for the sake of articles and recently they are becoming simply ridiculous and with tenuous links to what the subject matter should be and this is putting people off. There needs to be editorial control of content and not articles just to fill the space for the sake of it.
20/11/2014 at 17:59
Pat
We can only repeat, it’s a community resource and if you’re not willing to contribute then that makes your criticisms a lot less persuasive. We can all criticise anything can’t we?
Incidentally, “I don’t buy a magazine and expect to have to write it” would carry more weight if you had to buy the Journal, but you don’t, it’s free. See?
As for our articles putting people off, we have about 6,300 Twitter followers and rising all the time so ….
“There needs to be editorial control of content”
Actually, we have THREE editors. I’ll arrange for them to be sacked, OK?
20/11/2014 at 18:18
Womble
Why sack them? They just need to exercise editorial control to keep it interesting and relevant.
20/11/2014 at 18:26
D1PIO
I have no opinion on your local project. I am simply countering misinformation about my local project.
20/11/2014 at 18:28
heritageaction
Too late. They’re gone. And we gave them a good hiding before they went.
20/11/2014 at 18:32
heritageaction
“I have no opinion on your local project”
Yet you say it is pears to your apples.That’s strange. How do you know that, if you don’t know anything about it?
20/11/2014 at 18:33
Womble
“Too late. They’re gone. And we gave them a good hiding before they went”
🙂 🙂 🙂
20/11/2014 at 21:07
gyro
Certainly makes for an interesting discussion
20/11/2014 at 23:05
spaniel lover
I cant see the problem myself??? If it is such a big deal then why all the moaning then?