Representation by Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society)
- Date submitted
- 17 December 2018
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
ABOUT The Society was founded in 1853 to “educate the public by promoting, fostering interest in, exploration, research and publication on the archaeology, art, history and natural history of Wiltshire for the public benefit”. The Society commenced the purchase of land around Stonehenge to protect it in perpetuity. The land was later transferred to the National Trust. We have endorsed the 2015 Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Management Plan.
KEY PRINCIPLES We have commented on previous schemes for the A303, the Society identified key principles that guided its response. These were that any scheme should:- • Minimise damage to known or potential archaeological remains • Minimise physical impact or visual intrusion on open landscape • Maximise the efficient use of existing infrastructure • Maximise the reversibility of any new works Our evidence presented to the Public Inquiry in 2004 also highlighted that there were a number of issues that should be considered:- • The possibility of one day uniting the Avenue in its full length from the River Avon to Stonehenge • Reducing the severance of the northern and southern parts of the WHS • Improving the setting of the barrow cemeteries in and around the WHS • Improving access and circulation to key archaeological sites within the WHS landscape
CURRENT SCHEME We have commented in detail on the current Scheme and the Response agreed by our Board of Trustees can be found on our website at [Redacted]
The key elements of our response were - • We understand that the government has decided that improving the route of the A303 will take place and that to ‘do nothing’ is therefore not an option. • We welcome the level of detail presented in this consultation and the open consultation that has taken place. • As we highlighted in our response to the March 2017 consultation, we feel that Southern Route (Option 2 of those proposed in 2017) was the best option to preserve the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Stonehenge part of the World Heritage Site. • We are disappointed that no discussions have taken place on the long-term archaeological storage of archives resulting from excavation and survey. • The downgrading of the A303 will significantly reduce the severance of the northern and southern parts of the WHS, but the new cutting will create a new and permanent severance. • We welcome the removal of traffic from the vicinity of the stones. • We agree that the entire length within the WHS of Byways 11 and 12 should be downgraded for the use of non-motorised use only. There should be no new byway created to link Byways 11 and 12. • We would expect a detailed study on local hydrology to ensure that there is no impact on water-logged deposits alongside the River Avon. There are sensitive peat deposits in the valley of the River Avon as well as nationally significant Mesolithic sites, including Blick Mead. • We feel that the current Scheme will have a significant impact on the OUV of the WHS. Our view remains that the tunnel should be extended beyond the boundaries of the WHS and we feel that it is especially important that the western tunnel portal is located outside the WHS. • We do not endorse the current Scheme and our response to the consultation has been given with the aim of minimising its impact on the WHS.