Representation by Green Lane Association (Wiltshire area) (Green Lane Association (Wiltshire area))
- Date submitted
- 10 January 2019
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The Green Lane Association (GLASS) through local representation has been involved with the scheme through all of the Pre-application process and seek to continue involvement through the rest of the process. We were encouraged by the efforts made by Highways England in the early part of the process, with the Byways Open to All Traffic (BOAT) being retained and the proposal of a newly dedicated link between BOAT’s Amesbury 11 & 12. However, with the now proved illegal imposition of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order by Wiltshire Council it is obvious that we need to continue our opposition to certain elements of the scheme as follows: 1. Much is made in the documentation of the “Cultural Heritage” of the World Heritage Site (WHS) we would contend that the existing byways with their current public rights are worthy of heritage status themselves and form an important link to the evolution of the site.
There appears to be an agenda to “restore the tranquil environment and setting of Stonehenge” surely this is an impossible aim whilst facilitating a 1,582,532 (2017 figures) visitor footfall. As the majority of these visitors travel from the visitor centre to the stones by shuttle bus the relatively small number of vehicular movements along the byways surely pales into insignificance. It is also to be expected that once the traffic on the A303 is travelling through the proposed tunnel motor vehicles pulling off the main road for occupants to view the stones will be eliminated as will the risks associated.
The documentation states “The scheme will do much to re-unite the two halves of the site” maintaining the current public rights of way and reinstating the pre-application link between BOAT’s Amesbury 11 & 12 will aid in the achievement of this aim.
Wiltshire has a unique network of un-metalled roads. In its submitted form the scheme would necessitate the stopping up/closure of two BOAT’s, with the likelihood of another attempt to exclude motorized users within the WHS being almost inevitable this would add a further two and would have the effect of destroying the historic route of un-metalled road between the North and South of the area.
The scheme claims to be “Creating public rights of way” but from a recreational motorised user or a horse and carriage drivers perspective it seeks to extinguish long held public access rights.