Representation by Amanda Leon
- Date submitted
- 8 January 2019
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
1.As a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS), Stonehenge is one of the world’s most important prehistoric sites. It is situated in the UK but the UK’s responsibilities lie well beyond the UK, which must act to protect and enhance the site for the entire world, in line with the requirements of UNESCO and the expectations of humanity 2.Most people have been excluded from the consultations as exhibitions and related materials have focused on the local area in Wiltshire surrounding the site, thus revealing a total ignorance of the significance of this site in world terms 3.The lead agency for the road proposals is Highways England which, according to its own website, is a government company charged with operating, maintaining and improving England’s motorways and major A roads. The site is managed by English Heritage for the government, which owns the site. The whole operation is now in the hands of the Planning Inspectorate, another government agency. This combination means that there are very substantial possible conflicts of interest between the three agencies. A completely independent body should be identified to reach conclusions on this set of proposals. A site of this significance should not become a football between three government agencies with potentially conflicting priorities. 4.Original attempts at consultation did not consult the archaeology profession. This reveals a total ineptitude on the part of the applicants, as they fail to understand that the key issues are the site’s archaeological significance 5.Archaeology is very precious. Damage done to sites, whether inevitable through the act of archaeological excavation or accidental through such activities as road building, is totally irreversible. Archaeologists understand this and act accordingly, whereas the designers of this scheme do not. Additionally, in the future more advanced and sophisticated archaeological and technological methods will almost certainly allow less damaging activity. Sites must be protected for future generations. 6.Whilst the maintenance of the road system is obviously important, in the case of Stonehenge, as an exceptional part of the world’s history, there are even greater priorities for the area. Far from building dual carriageways and underpasses/tunnels to ‘improve’ the A303, the opportunity should be taken to move the entire road and associated infrastructure much further away from the WHS. 7.The UK vaunts its credentials as a responsible custodian of heritage and culture. This act of destruction flies in the face of such claims 8.Increased road activity is unsustainable and always leads to environmental degradation. In this case, the ecology of the whole area will be compromised, noise will reach new levels, plant and animal wild life will be endangered. 9.It is no longer possible or responsible to encourage more traffic on roads. These proposals contain no mention of the need to provide better and affordable public transport or the importance of discouraging private car ownership. 10.Recent unauthorized activity at Blick Mead provides depressing evidence of the dangers of allowing road and infrastructure companies a free hand in our priceless landscape and buildings. It is a chilling indication of the possible damage that will ensue if this project goes ahead