Representation by Rescue, The British Archaeological Trust (Rescue, The British Archaeological Trust)
- Date submitted
- 8 January 2019
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Rescue is a non-political organisation dedicated to supporting archaeology. We receive no state support and are entirely dependent on the contributions of our members to support our work. We have been campaigning since our foundation in 1971 to support the cause of British archaeology. Our Council follows developments at Stonehenge and we have published articles on Stonehenge planning matters in our newsletters to members. We object to the A303 Stonehenge Preferred Route and changes proposed to it, on our own account and as a supporter-organisation of the Stonehenge Alliance. Our objections may be summarised as follows. We are particularly concerned about the damage the proposed road engineering and associated works would do to the World Heritage Site (WHS): its archaeology, fabric, setting and integrity, both during construction and in operation. Key monument groups would be permanently separated from one another and the designed landscape substantially modified each end of the tunnel, making it impossible for future generations to experience the WHS in its form at designation and less easy for them to gain better understanding about it now and as knowledge improves over time. We question the validity of the Heritage Impact Assessment undertaken for the WHS which considers impacts on attributes of Outstanding Universal Value but fails fully to assess damage to the WHS itself. We are concerned about loss of views of Stonehenge to road users. The A303 scheme contravenes the 1972 World Heritage Convention under which our Government is committed to protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future generations of the WHS in its entirety. Crucial elements of the advice of three joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS advisory missions to Stonehenge and of the World Heritage Committee in 2017 and 2018 have not been followed. The A303 scheme is contrary to national and local planning policy for the WHS. Little regard appears to be given to the NPSNN section on the historic environment, notably paras. 5.129 and 5.131. The scheme also appears to conflict with the Valetta and European Landscape Conventions. We deplore the absence of archaeological evaluation reports in Highways England’s application documentation. Known information about the archaeology along the scheme corridor includes important evidence of boundaries, burials, settlement remains and flint scatters. Much of this evidence is within or just below the ploughsoil where remains are fragmentary, demanding careful and time-consuming excavation before development, along with full reporting and assured long-term storage of finds. The application documentation indicates tunnel boring machine vibrations could impact on a long barrow. It is suggested that the situation would be monitored but no remedy is offered for damaging impacts. Is there potential for damage to other archaeological known or unknown remains, such as fragile inhumations, on or close to the tunnel? There are concerns about possible changes in groundwater flow at Blick Mead resulting from road and/or tunnel engineering. This important site lies close to and probably partly under the A303 and proposed Countess flyover. The scheme would also impact adversely on the Amesbury Conservation Area, Listed Countess Farm Barns and Amesbury Abbey with its registered parkland.