Representation by Wiltshire Fishery Association (Wiltshire Fishery Association)
- Date submitted
- 11 January 2019
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Written Representation by WFA as Interested Party for Examination of Highways England A303 Stonehenge Development Consent Order
The Wiltshire Fishery Association The Wiltshire Fishery Association (WFA) is a volunteer-run organisation established more than 60 years ago to represent the interests of recreational fisheries and riparian owners in the upper Hampshire Avon Catchment: including the Salisbury Bourne, upper Avon, Wylye, Till, Nadder and Ebble. Central to our members’ interests are ecologically healthy rivers, free from pollutants and sustained by natural flows. Our members maintain a network of ecological and water quality monitoring across these catchments. We have previously made submissions to Highways England in the earlier phases of consultation on the A303 Stonehenge Proposals.
Our concerns The proposed scheme has significant potential for detrimental impacts on the health of the Rivers Till and Avon, and on the groundwater which feeds them. It is absolutely vital therefore that the potential effects are well understood and where necessary addressed through design or other mitigation. Our principle concerns surround: • The construction phase impacts on the River Till associated with the viaduct crossing and approach roads, including discharges of silt downstream. • Potential effects on the River Till associated with the storage of tunnel boring arisings near Parsonage Farm. • Potential effects on groundwater quality from construction of the twin bore tunnel and its portals, including the consequences of boring through the phosphatic chalk. • Potential short-term (construction) and long-term effects of the twin bore tunnel on groundwater flows and consequent impacts on river flows in the Till and Avon.