Representation by Nick Groom
- Date submitted
- 8 January 2019
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am a university professor (Exeter), a widely published author (including books on the English seasons and the history of the Union Jack), Hon. President of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (Devon), and on the management board of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the Cultures and Environments of Health. I am writing in my personal capacity as an individual deeply concerned about the care for historic sites and the long-term conservation of heritage, natural environments, and communal identity. The A303 Stonehenge Expressway will devastate a world heritage site and an iconic and globally recognized symbol of the United Kingdom. Stonehenge is a profoundly significant archaeological site and major discoveries about the stones and their setting continue to be made. It is our duty to future generations to preserve sites such as Stonehenge, to ensure that they are accessible and not commercialized, and to maintain the site as a peaceful sanctuary that can be enjoyed by all and not denuded of wildlife and disturbed by noisy traffic. The Stonehenge site is, in the words of UNESCO, a ‘landscape without parallel’, and UNESCO do not support the road plans. I therefore object to the plans in the very strongest terms.