Representation by Debbie Kilroy
- Date submitted
- 11 January 2019
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Stonehenge and its surrounding landscape has been in use for thousands of years; it is a site of major importance, both to our country and to the world, as represented through its UNESCO world heritage status. It provides a glimpse into our prehistory and presents both questions and answers about how we consider and what we know about our ancestors. It is essential it is preserved. The stones, while fun to look at, are only a tiny portion of the landscape, in which there are many more fascinating and important archaeological sites, such as Blick Mead. We run the risk of permanently damaging - or losing - these sites if the road in its currently-proposed form goes ahead. There is also a significant chance that it will not just destroy the sites we know about, but also the ones that as of yet are undiscovered. UNESCO realises this, which is why it has cautioned against the proposal. The same can be said for any number of specialists, prehistorians, and archaeologists. It seems entirely short-sighted deliberately, and against advice, to wipe out thousands of years of history for a few short-term traffic problems. Having lived in Cornwall for years, I acknowledge that there can be bottlenecks around Stonehenge, but this is not the only place for traffic, and nor is it constant. Saving half-an-hour's journey time is not a good enough excuse for destroying our descendants' heritage, and knowledge of themselves.