Stonehenge tunnel is approved by government

Plans to conception a roadworthy passageway adjacent Stonehenge person been approved.

The Department for Transport approved the £1.7bn two-mile (3.2km) passageway from Amesbury to Berwick Down successful Wiltshire connected Friday.

Highways England said it wanted to physique the passageway to trim postulation and chopped travel times connected the A303.

Campaign group, the Stonehenge Alliance, said it was "extremely disappointed" by the determination and warned the task could spot Stonehenge stripped of its World Heritage Site status.

The scheme, which has been backed by Wiltshire Council, involves overhauling 8 miles of the large roadworthy which goes from London to South West England.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said successful a 64-page missive helium was "satisfied determination is simply a wide need" for the caller passageway and the project's "harm connected spatial, ocular relations and settings is little than important and should beryllium weighed against the nationalist benefits".

The missive said determination is simply a "number of benefits that value importantly successful favour of development".

He said successful "respect of taste practice and the historical environment", helium recognised "he indispensable springiness large value to the conservation" of the World Unesco Heritage Site and accepts "there volition beryllium harm arsenic a effect of the improvement to taste practice and the historical environment".

The plans were initially fixed the go-ahead successful November 2020 by then-transport caput Grant Shapps contempt the Planning Inspectorate officials saying it would lawsuit "permanent, irreversible harm" to the area.

However, the Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site confederation successfully challenged his determination successful the High Court.

Steve Gooding, manager of the RAC Foundation, said: "This saga is starting to consciousness astir arsenic aged arsenic the stones themselves and it's not implicit yet.

"The likelihood indispensable beryllium that objectors volition already beryllium poring implicit the Secretary of State's lengthy and elaborate determination missive looking for grounds connected which to motorboat different ineligible challenge.

"Quite isolated from the hazard of further ineligible delays, the adjacent hurdle for the task is getting the backing successful spot to proceed, contempt the economical compression connected the Department for Transport's budget."

Wiltshire councillor Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "We're delighted that consent has been granted erstwhile again for the A303 Stonehenge task and it tin present determination forward.

"This immense infrastructure task represents a important concern successful Wiltshire that volition boost the system of some our region and the wider region, unlocking jobs and investment.

"Along with the construction, determination volition besides beryllium broad programme of archaeological mitigation, which volition heighten our knowing of the World Heritage Site," she added.

Archaeologist and spokeswoman for the Stonehenge Alliance, Dr Kate Fielden, said: "We are shocked that the authorities is prepared to instrumentality a £2.5bn roadworthy strategy erstwhile the state is successful dire request of expenditure connected acold much important things."

Unesco, the UN's practice body, antecedently warned that Stonehenge volition beryllium placed connected its "in danger" database if the passageway goes ahead, and could suffer its presumption entirely.

Such an result would beryllium "a nationalist disgrace", Dr Fielden said.

"Stonehenge is astir apt 1 of the astir salient practice sites successful the world," she added.

Dr Fielden said that constricted institution Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site, acceptable up by Save Stonehenge members, was seeking ineligible proposal connected adjacent steps.

She added that the authorities should beryllium encouraging alternate means of transport.

"We are legally committed to reducing c emissions and addressing clime change, and that includes modes of transport - we are fiddling portion Rome burns."