It’s looking more and more likely to happen if Highways England and its heritage allies succeed in plans to drive a mile of new dual carriageway over the protected landscape. But no-one – least of all the three heritage protection bodies – is likely to know yet how they’ll spin it to the public.
It will be quite a challenge, for UNESCO will have effectively implied to the world that Britain’s behaviour is uncivilised. We think there are only four possibilities. Which one do YOU think they’ll choose?.
- UNESCO is too expensive and rotten to the core. We’re best out of it.
- UNESCO doesn’t understand. Making a new road at the cost of converting a complex historic landscape into a bland new parkland is good for everyone! We have loads of likes on Trip Advisor and Top Gear that prove it’s true.
- JMW Turner is dead but you can still see his paintings at the Tate, so who needs to see the real thing? Duh!
- We’re going to set up a new and far better protection body called (something like) The Stonehenge Protection Trust in which all the bodies and individuals who have been complicit in this unprecedented destruction (and those who’ve opposed it as they’ll now be incapable of preventing it) will be invited to regular, expensive, mainly self-satisfied gatherings to issue periodic positive press releases saying: “We’ll protect the landscape forever, for everyone this time, honest”.
The Heritage Journal 
7 comments
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23/07/2019 at 13:53
Janice Hassett
The majority of people against “doing something about the A303” past Stonehenge, do NOT live where we live! My campaign STAG: Stonehenge Traffic Action Group was created to address the ever increasing traffic through our village of Shrewton on Salisbury Plain, where drivers following sat navs divert off the beleaguered A303 and take to narrow unsuitable roads to avoid the queues which are now every day all day. On just one of the 4 entry points to our village, the speed indicator device for the month of June 2019 registered 139,393 vehicles! There are 26 houses on this narrow stretch of road with no pavements where the residents have to negotiate a left hand bend to come down into the village for shop, school and doctors. Yes it’s possible that UNESCO could “take away” the World Heritage Status of the World Heritage Site around Stonehenge….So what if it’s removed…..will people stop visiting the monument because it doesn’t hold WHS status, I think not. After all, the city of Dresden in Germany lost their status in 2005 because they decided to deal with a traffic problem by building a bridge over the River Elbe, and people from around the world still visit Dresden!!!
Whilst we appreciate fixing the A303 around Stonehenge will create disruption for us all, and in fact will probably unearth further archaeology, would this be a bad thing, since there is undiscovered archaeology all over the UK. Life must evolve and finding new artifacts may well be to the good. I’m certain that archaeologists from Highways England, are working closely with National Trust archaeologists and have come together to find common ground and the changes will be carried out appropriately and in a sympathetic manner, opening up the route to assist the economy of the West country, whilst returning the land to nature and wild life and….giving us back our village. Putting the A303 into a tunnel will achieve all of this and there is no reason why there cannot be a balance between the living and the dead!
23/07/2019 at 14:42
heritageaction
Unfortunately, the value of the Stonehenge World Heritage Landscape exceeds all the points you raise. Other solutions must be found for the villages.
As for:“I’m certain that archaeologists from Highways England, are working closely with National Trust archaeologists and have come together to find common ground and the changes will be carried out appropriately and in a sympathetic manner” that’s terribly funny.
26/07/2019 at 02:18
Sue Charlton
The author of this article needs to understand the situation before writing about it . The byepass to Stonehenge is a considerable distance from the stones them selves and is a TUNNEL 50 metres deep. It takes the cars away from them and leaves the landscape undisturbed. It has been very carefully planned and is available to view the the planning booklet produced for the public to see. The new visitor centre was built a few years ago which taken the car parking away out of sight also. This created the most dreadful blockage in the roads through our villages which has made life intolerable for local people.
The traffic that uses the A303 is passing through and this is the main trunk road to the West country and is always busy. Today (Thursday) it was at lunchtime taking 1 hour to pass through.
As for the World heritage people,don’t you think they will think it greatly improved after the work has been carried out?
Sue Charlton.
26/07/2019 at 09:18
heritageaction
“The author of this article needs to understand the situation before writing about it . The byepass to Stonehenge is a considerable distance from the stones them selves and is a TUNNEL 50 metres deep. It takes the cars away from them and leaves the landscape undisturbed.”
On the contrary, to say the landscape will be left undisturbed is a lamentable failure to understand or a deliberate attempt to misinform. To drive a total of a mile of new dual carriageway approach roads across the World Heritage Landscape, the most important prehistoric landscape in Europe, is uncivilised. A different solution such as a longer tunnel needs to be adopted.
27/07/2019 at 00:25
cziggylittle@msn.com
I ask the question have you been here and looked? A nd have you looked at and understood the plans? I think not …… we challenge you to come and visit us and we will show you
See Charlton
27/07/2019 at 09:30
Janice Hassett
Surely the Project to put the A303 out of sight i.e. in a tunnel, is far more acceptable to even people like yourself – who don’t live here or understand the wider picture, than the present 5.9 miles of single carriageway tarmac running right across the WHS! Oh yes…..are you willing to foot the further million pound bill for a longer tunnel?….I think not somehow.
27/07/2019 at 09:53
heritageaction
But why the blue blazes aren’t you campaigning for a longer tunnel which would give you and us and English Heritage and the National Trust and Historic England and the Stonehenge Alliance and UNESCO what we all require? Surely you don’t think the Government can’t find the money, if pressed? It’s peanuts in Brexit and HS2 contexts.
There seems to be a catastrophic lack of logic in STAG’s position which gets it grievously patronised by Highways England and ignored by all who have the WHS landscape’s welfare at heart.
Time for a re-think, not because of anything we say, but purely in response to an application of logic.