#Stonehenge Questions 1: Full Disclosure Please

Digger at work on the former A344 in daylight within sight of the stones top right.

Each day this week the Heritage Journal is asking English Heritage for transparency in relation to their management of Stonehenge. Today we are asking for a full and frank disclosure regarding the contaminated topsoil.

English Heritage (EH) has stated that topsoil contaminated with asbestos was recovered at night to overcome disturbance to the visitor experience in proximity to the stones, but what of the disturbing effects of the failure to openly inform the public? Had this operation not come to the media’s attention, would the public know even now? Was scrap metal such as barbed wire, and glass including broken bottles not also present in the contaminated topsoil? When are the public going to learn about the content and origin of this topsoil material?

The public deserve a full disclosure declaring the discovery, extent and content of the contaminated topsoil on the former A344, listing the nature and hazard posed by all materials that were present, whether the entire area was recovered, what remains, and exactly when and how long this operation took. May we have this please?

If you have a question you would like English Heritage to answer about their management of Stonehenge, send it in to the Journal, if publishable we will see what we can do!

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